Whispering Bells
by nibbler747
Summary: Temari is conflicted with issues at home and Shikamaru is secretly dealing with his own problems. A mission comes up that will pair the two alone together on a dangerous mission. The armour begins to crack, as these two start to really get to know each other, and their philosophies are more in harmony than they first thought. (Takes place in Shippuden after time jump)
1. Chapter 1

Whispering Bells

Chapter 1

Temari looked out from her balcony at the rolling hills of sand before her. It was a sight of beauty. The sand changed its creation each day so the landscape was never exactly the same. The hills physically shifted, the colours of the sand changed, new flora was exposed. It was a scene she was accustomed to, but still loved. She had recently become a Jounin, and her eyes to the world had opened up. She was starting to see the world and the beauty that lay in other lands.

Each village had its own personality she had found. Her own people of Suna were proud to a fault. They kept all emotion under wraps, and tended to be abrupt and cold. Showing weakness was an eternal sin in her village.

She had recently returned from the Hidden Village of the Leaf after her last mission. To her surprise she enjoyed her time in the village. The air felt lighter, the people more jovial, and dare she say it – kinder? Was this the influence of the environment, or was it the Kages that had led the village? She knew that the spirit of her village had changed tremendously from when Gaara had taken over as Kazekage.

"Lady Temari?" a loud voice boomed.

Startled, Temari turned around to see an armed guard standing in the doorway. She straightened her long black kimono robe and stood tall.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Lord Rasa wants to see you at once."

Her father? What did he want? Her relationship with her father had always been strained. His cruelty towards Gaara his whole life was not something she could easily forget. Making Gaara a Jinchuriki, the multiple assassination attempts on his own child, making Gaara think that his own mother hated him. Temari shuddered. He was always putting the village before his own family. Well, he was no longer Kazekage, and she did not have to come by his command.

Temari stared coldly at the guard the turned her back to him, sending him a clear message. She stared out the window, a vibrant pink desert lily caught her eye.

"He requested you come immediately. I have orders to not leave without you."

"He is not the Kazekage. I do not take orders from him."

The guard planted his feet and looked straight ahead, not letting on any expression.

She sighed. Her father was a stubborn man, she might as well find out what he wants.

* * *

Shikamaru tried to balance the large stack of chunin exam results and profiles, while knocking on the Hokage's door. She wanted to personally review each chunin candidate carefully. He had spent so much time writing up an assessment of each student. It was so troublesome…how did he get himself tied into the chunin exams of all things.

He could hear light laughter coming from behind the door. Was she not alone?

Shikamaru rapped on the door again. This time louder. He was about the drop the large stack of papers on the floor, so he decided, probably against his better judgement to just open the door.

Hokage Tsunade quickly shoved a book under a large stack of papers. "Shikamaru, you startled me."

"Sorry, Lady Tsunade. I knocked but there was no answer." Shikamaru looked around the room. There appeared to be no one else there. He dropped the large stack of profiles on her already overflowing desk.

"Are those the chunin results? What are your thoughts?"

Shikamaru slumped down in the chair in front of her. "Well, I think we have a few excellent candidates in there, but I'll let you review my assessments."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes as she looked at Shikamaru. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his hands looked blackened and cut. He looked so tired…almost to the point of total exhaustion. Shikamaru was never the most energetic ninja, but this was distinctly different. Something was off. He had been looking progressively worse ever since his failed mission to retrieve Sasuke.

"Shikamaru?" she started gently. "Are you alright? You are not looking well. I could examine you if you want."

He suddenly sat up straight in his chair, and then cleared his throat. "I'm fine, Lady Tsunade. I'm just not sleeping well, is all." _Well that much was true._

She gave him a look. "Hmphff…I thought you and sleeping were the best of friends?"

He gave a weak smile. "Well usually." He wanted to change the topic. He spied the Nara clan medical encyclopedia on her desk. "Are you researching new medical jutsu?"

Tsunade's face lit up. "Oh, the information the Nara clan has gathered here is indispensable. I can't thank your father enough for passing it on to me. I've been able to develop some new antidotes for some complex poisons, but I am missing a few key items. In particular, I need a particular flower that only grows in the desert. I believe the Hidden Village of the Sand has access to this."

She pulled out a piece of parchment. "I am formally going to request this from their village." She quickly scrawled a message and then affixed her seal. "Can you please send this to the village via a messenger bird."

Shikamaru took the parchment, and started heading towards the door.

"Oh wait a second" she called.

She went to the other side of her cluttered office, and opened a large glass jar. Inside she pulled out a small sachet filled with dried leaves. She put the sachet into his hands. "It's a special tea. It'll help you sleep"

"Thank-you" he said softly, and put it in his pocket. He left the room and closed the door behind him.

Tsunade sighed. Something was not right. Perhaps she better speak to Asuma to find out if he had any insights.

* * *

Temari walked into the large sitting room to see her father standing at the other end, facing the open window. His once auburn hair was littered with greys, and the harshness of the desert were starting to take effect on his face. The last few years in particular had aged him. You would think that stepping down as Kazekage would have lightened his appearance, but he seemed troubled as always.

"You summoned me?" she called out.

Rasa turned around and faced his daughter. She had changed so much in the last three years. She was becoming the spitting image of her mother, with her sandy blonde hair and teal coloured eyes. She no longer dressed as a child but as a grown woman, now donning a long black kimono with a red sash. Her temperament though, was nothing like her mothers. Temari was often blunt and didn't mince words, she lacked the gentle nature of her mother.

"What do you want?" Temari asked again impatiently.

Rasa looked sternly at his daughter. "Temari. That is no way to speak to your father. I did not raise you to act with such disrespect."

"Respect is earned, not owed." Temari countered.

"You are still young, and you still have a lot to learn." He walked over and sat on the couch near the centre of the room. He beckoned her to come sit across from him. A set of hot tea was waiting there for their discussion. Temari, went and sat across from him, keeping her posture stick straight.

"Temari, you are no longer a child, and it is time for you think about your future."

Temari frowned. "Future? I recently achieved Jounin rank. There are so many missions, so much work to be done. The pile of S class and A class missions that Gaara has is long." She gave her father a pointed look. "Not to mention repairing the relationship between our villages…"

Rasa shook his head. His daughter was missing the point. "That is short term thinking. There will always be missions, relationship building. I am thinking of the future of our clan, of the future of the village."

Temari nervously took a sip of the hot green tea.

"I think it is time you stop playing ninja. It's time to give serious strength to the clan."

"Excuse me? Playing Ninja? I am Jounin. Elite! This is not a game I play, it is who I am!"

"Temari, my desert flower. A child thinks of themselves and their needs. An adult thinks of what is best for the greater good. For the village. For the clan. Everyone is taking notice of you. You have blossomed into a beautiful young woman. I have been approached by a number of clan leaders enquiring about you. The right match with the right clan could give our clan an incredible advantage. And paired with the right person, your children could have incredible abilities."

Temari flushed red. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her father wanted her to give up her ninja career to get married and start having children? She had just turned twenty. This was not the life that she wanted for herself. Where was her say?

"Do you even care about what I want!? Or is our clan and village all that is important to you?"

"If you were an adult it would be more important to you also. Being an adult –"

"-being an adult is showing loyalty, love, listening and respect! It is not simply amplifying the status of the clan. Father, we are people. Kankuro, Gaara and I. We are not just objects or tools. We have feelings. It is something that you seem to forget all the time!"

"Temari!" Rasa shouted. "That is enough. Discussing marriage at the age of twenty is well within norms and is not some crazy suggestion. I married your mother at eighteen."

"And look how well that turned out for her."

Rasa struck Temari hard across the cheek. Stunned she stumbled backwards.

"ENOUGH!" Rasa shouted. "You know nothing. I was the fourth Kazekage and I am STILL your father. You know nothing of the sacrifices I made. Of myself, of my family."

"At what cost?" Temari asked tearily. "At the cost of my mother! Gaara and Kunkuro may not remember her, but I do. She loved us. She would do anything for us. She did not want the taliled beast sealed within her children. The thought terrified her. You think I don't remember, but I do. What about what she wanted. Why is what you want always the most important?"

Rasa stood up to his full height and stood in front of Temari. "You think you are like your mother do you? Know this. You are not. You may look like her, but you don't understand her character. She did what was best for all of us. She gave up her life for it. Willingly. You are not even half the woman that she was."

Rasa gave himself a little laugh and shook his head. "You're impossible. Always were. Even the one-tailed beast had better sense than to match with you. I'm going to have my work cut out for me, but believe me, it will be done, and the Kazekage Clan will come out ahead because of it."

He brushed past her and walked out the door. The room fell silent, but Temari could feel her mind screaming.

* * *

Shikamaru looked around the forest to see if anyone had followed him. All he could sense was a small rabbit and a number of birds in the trees. Perfect. He didn't want any interruption that could disturb his focus.

It was the middle of the night, but the sun was due to start rising any minute now. It would be the perfect time for long shadows to be cast. At this early hour, the flashes of light mixed with sunrise should go unnoticed.

He gathered his chakra, crouched down and made three hand signals. "Shadow Fire Jutsu!" he whispered. Two long shadow strings left his feet, and raced towards the large tree in front of him. Underneath the shadow, a spark was travelling encased in the shadow string to the large tree. When the spark hit the tree, it fizzled and quickly went out.

_Damn it! Why is this not working? What element am I missing?_

The two sparks joining were supposed to ignite a fireball that the target wouldn't notice until it was too late. Instead of a massive fireball, it was just a piddly spark that fizzled out immediately. He made the hand signals again. It ended with the same result.

Night after night he had been trying. The results were varied, but he still hadn't had any success.

_How long can I keep doing this? My chakra is getting completely depleted and I'm not making any progress. But it should work. I must be missing something. I have to keep trying._

Shikamaru closed his eyes for a moment. He would have to take Rock Lee's mantra, and keep training until he dropped. He spied his favourite hill off in the distance. The one he used to spend hours watching the clouds.

He sighed. "Man…what a drag.."

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I would love to get a review from you, as this is my first Naruto Fanfic! In the next chapter, Gaara will get involved in Temari's predicament, and Team 10 is getting suspicious of what Shikamaru is hiding.**


	2. Chapter 2 - To Love or Not to Love

**A/N: I have to apologize for getting some of the Naruto history wrong. I didn't realize that Rasa was killed during the Konoha Crush (somehow I missed that). But for the sake of the story, I hope you don't mind, I have him still alive. He's a minor character in the story, so I hope it shouldn't effect things too much.**

Chapter 2 – To Love or Not to Love

Temari took a big breath as she stood in front of the intricate door. She ran her fingers over the deep wood grooves, the coolness of the wood caressing her hand. It had been three days since the blow up with her father. She was sure that everyone had been talking in the shadows about it. Gaara had asked to see her. He rarely formally summoned her, usually their conversations were more casual. She feared that he had been speaking to their father. While she trusted Gaara, she knew how manipulative her father could often be. She tentatively rapped on the door.

"Come" she heard Gaara's voice call.

She entered the room to see Gaara sitting on his desk, and Kankuro on the sofa in front of him working on one of his puppets. She let out a sigh of relief; there was no one else in the room.

Kankuro looked up and grinned. "Well if it isn't our blushing bride."

Temari stopped dead in her tracks. Gaara gave Kankuro an exasperated look.

"That's not funny" Temari snapped. She went over to the couch and sat beside Kankuro, bumping him to the side stiffly. She looked at Gaara pointedly.

"I suppose you've spoken with father."

Gaara got off his desk and went to the other side, sitting down. "He did have words with me."

Temari waited for her youngest brother to continue, but he seemed to have stopped there. Gaara had a lot of good qualities but being verbose was not one of them.

"And…." She waited.

"Well, I don't agree with everything he said, but he did make some good points. I told him that I would speak with you."

"Good points? The only point that needs to be made is for him to stay out of my life. I am tired of him controlling everything. He's not Kazekage anymore; he needs to take a step back. Not everything needs his hand in it."

Kankuro started snickering. "What's the big deal anyways? I thought every girl's big dream was to have some big obnoxious wedding. Is our sand princess different?"

Temari groaned. "Ugh…it's like you don't even know me."

He laughed. "Well I know something is up with you. You've been dressing differently, your hair is different, you wear some make up now. " He looked her up and down. He hated to admit, but his sister was turning into quite a stunner. "Who are you trying to impress anyways? Do you have some secret boyfriend we don't know about? Is that why you freaked out when father mentioned marriage?"

Temari's face flushed bright red. "I am not a child anymore. I dress and do my hair because I like it that way. Not everything is done for a man. I like the way I look this way, that's why I do it. I also did not take becoming a Jounin lightly. This is what I want to do. Not get married"

Gaara turned to her. "Do you not want to get married Temari? Ever?"

She stared down at her feet. It was such an awkward conversation to have with her brothers. "I'm not saying I never want to." She paused. "I do, actually. I want to get married, when I am ready. I want to get married to a person that I have chosen. Not one that was chosen for me."

"Have you thought about what you are looking for? In a partner?" Gaara asked softly.

Temari raised her head back up. A far away look came onto her face. "I know that I want someone that acts as my partner, and not as my master. Someone who I can have long discussions with about anything and everything. Someone who can make me think. Someone who can make me laugh. Someone who cares about my thoughts on things." She smiled. "Someone who makes my fingers and toes tingle when I see him."

Kankuro started to laugh, but was quickly quelled by his sister's sharp elbow to his stomach. Temari turned toward Gaara. "Please don't force me to get married. I don't know what father said to you, but -"

"Father and I spoke about what it meant to be Kazekage" Gaara stated quietly. "It was not something I understood until I took the position. There is a weight of responsibility that is very real. I am responsible for this village, for the people in it. It is not something to be taken lightly. I understood what he was saying when he was talking about in doing what is best for the village. It is not always an easy or straightforward decision."

Temari's face started to fall. What did this mean? Was he siding with her father?

"That being said. Temari, you are my sister and have always been there for me. You have always protected and cared for me. I understand the pain of being forced into things. I will not force you to do anything you do not want to do."

"Thank you Gaara!– you"

"-I think what is best for the Sand Village is for you to find your peace. You are not at peace in your heart. You need to figure that out."

She stared at Gaara stunned. He was right. She was not at peace. She felt hate and anger towards her father. She felt unsure about her place in Suna. She felt unsure as a woman in her village, she had never had any guidance. She was ungrounded. How had Gaara gotten so perceptive at a young age?

"I think it would be a good idea if we put some space between you and father right now. He's angry, but I think things will settle out in time. To our good fortune, a good opportunity just came up."

He walked over to his desk and picked up a piece of parchment. "This is a request from Hokage Tsunade of the Hidden Leaf. She has requested a flower from Hidden Sand for her medical jutsu."

Kankuro scoffed. "You're not really going to give that mission to Temari are you? That's a D class mission if I ever saw one. Delivering some flowers? Are you going to waste a Jounin on that?"

Gaara smiled. "Well actually, I have a special request. I need some reconnaissance that might only be available there."

* * *

"Choji! You're going to eat everything before Shikamaru even gets here!" Ino yelled. Ino and Choji were sitting at their usual table at their favourite restaurant.

The table was filled with food ; from ramen, sushi, tempura, soup to karaage. The sea of food looked endless, but it appeared that Choji was going to order some more.

"Don't worry. Nobody will go hungry when I order" Choji said with a smile. He motioned to the waitress and added to the order.

Ino patted her stomach. "Well, I'm not that hungry, so keep that in mind."

He snorted. "That's unlikely. You always say that, and then end up eating our food."

Ino smiled at Choji. She loved Thursday nights. It was the night that she got together with her team ten teammates, and they caught up and laughed until they shut the place down. They had been through so much together, they really felt like her brothers. She felt she was seeing less and less of them during the week, with Shikamaru assisting the Hokage, her working at the flower shop, and Choji doing work for his clan.

She turned to Choji. "Listen, I'm glad it's just the two of us right now, because I want to talk to you about something."

"What is it?"

"It's Shikamaru. Something is going on with him. Doesn't he seem really tired? Almost out of it."

"Shikamaru is always tired. Napping is practically his hobby."

"Come on. It's more than that. Something is going on. I've asked him, but he just makes a joke and says it's nothing."

"Well maybe it is nothing? I don't know. Lady Tsunade works him pretty hard sometimes. And you know he's not used to that."

"It's something different. I can't put my finger on it." She raised her eyebrow. "Well, there is one way I could find out for sure."

"Ino! No. We made a promise to each other, not to do that without permission."

"Choji, I'm not doing that to spy on him. It's out of concern for his well-being. We can find out what is going on if I take a look in that busy head of his."

"Still. You promised you wouldn't without permission. Plus he'll know if-"

"Ssssh…Shikamaru is here!"

Ino watched as her teammate walked in the door. He had grown so much in the last couple of years, he was now a good head taller than her. He had lost all the baby fat, and his face and body were achieving a more chiseled appearance. He was becoming quite a good looking shinobi. Not for her though, he was like a brother to her.

Shikamaru fell into the chair beside her. "Oooh this looks so good. I'm so hungry, I think I could out-eat Choji!" He grabbed a pair of chopsticks and started loading up his plate.

Choji laughed. "I'd like to see that buddy."

Ino looked at Shikamaru, who was currently stuffing his face. His eyes had dark circles under them, his arms were scratched up. It looked like his hands were covered in burns. What was going on? Well with Shikamaru, she found the direct approach was usually best.

"Shikamaru. It's time to be straight with us. We're your teammates, you know you can tell us anything. What is going on with you? You don't look well. Each time I see you, you look worse."

Shikamaru paused eating and looked at Ino. He then averted his eyes back to the plate. "Nothing is going on. I told you before. The Hokage is keeping me pretty busy is all, and I'm having trouble sleeping lately. Maybe it's the change of season."

Ino set down her chopsticks. He was lying. He could not even look in in the eyes. She was determined to get to the bottom of this. "Shikamaru. If you are unwell, you need to be examined. I have a meeting with Lady Tsunade tomorrow, she can –"

"-No! I don't need Lady Tsunade. This is not her business. I just need a good night sleep! Everyone just needs to lay off!"

"Why are you lying?!" Ino raised her voice. "It's us. We never lie to each other. If you won't tell me, I'm going to find out myself." She quickly started making her Mind Possession hand symbols.

"What!" Shikamaru exclaimed, and made a counter symbol. Shikamaru's face went white, and he hit his head hard on the table. He was out.

"Oh my God what happened?" Ino screamed.

"You're not in his head? What is going on?" Choji exclaimed. He tried to prop his friend up. A stream of blood started flowing from his forehead. He grabbed a napkin and held it against his forehead. "He's out cold Ino! What did you do to him?"

"I didn't enter! I stopped before I- " The restaurant patrons were starting to look over at the commotion.

"Choji, lets' get him out of here. Quick! Outside."

Choji hoisted his best friend over his shoulder and took him behind the restaurant. He lay him down on a patch of grass. "Ino, I think we really need to get him to the hospital. He's still unconscious. Something must be really wrong."

"Whatever is going on, he doesn't want the Hokage to know about it. That much I did get. If we take him to the hospital, she's the first one who will find out." She lay hand on his chest and listened to his breathing. "His heart is beating normally, and his breathing seems good. I don't think this is life threatening, but I don't know why he's unconscious."

She turned to Choji. "Get Sakura. Fast, and be discreet. She'll be able to help us."

**A/N: Thanks for reading! In the next chapter, Sakura tries to help Team 10, and Shikamaru and Temari are reunited. If you are enjoying the story, please leave me a quick review! I did not get any for my first chapter, so I'm not sure if anyone is enjoying the story. (Hopefully! = ) **


	3. Chapter 3 - Midnight Stirring

Chapter 3 – Midnight Stirring

"Shikamaru, I'm so sorry," Ino sobbed as she cradled his head in her lap. She held the napkin tightly against his forehead to stop the bleeding. "I was just worried about you. I never meant for you to get hurt. Oh my god...I'm so sorry."

Shikamaru remained dead still, his face was extremely pale. Ino looked out towards the street. Where were they? Maybe Choji was right, maybe they should have taken him to the hospital right away. He wasn't looking very good.

As if on call, she saw her pink haired friend and Choji darting down the street at great speed towards them.

Sakura knelt down beside him, and placed a small bag beside her. "What happened? Choji didn't tell me much, he just said that Shikamaru passed out." She looked at his forehead. "This cut doesn't look good."

Ino sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I just wanted to find out what was going on with him. I was going to do my Mind Possession jutsu on him, but I didn't do it. He started making a counter sign, and then he just dropped unconscious and hit his head on the table."

Sakura frowned. There appeared to be a lot more going on that she wasn't being told about, but this wasn't the time for it. She gathered a healing chakra in her hands, and passed it over his head. The cut was superficial, and could be healed quickly. She moved her hands over his heart. There was something much more concerning there.

"His chakra level is so low. It's dangerously low. It's why he is unconscious. How did he get this way? Was there more to this argument than you are telling me?"

"No! It's just as I told you. He made that counter sign and then just dropped! Can you help him?"

Sakura looked at Ino contemplatively. "My guess was that his chakra level was extremely low, and then he tried to block your mind possession jutsu. I think he probably used the last of his chakra, and in a sense short circuited himself. " She thought for a moment. "I'm not sure, let me see if this will work." She gathered a large amount of chakra and made five hand signals. A stream of green chakra was flowing from herself into Shikamaru. She did this for a few minutes before breaking the jutsu. She was sweating from the exertion.

Shikamaru's face started to flush with colour. He gave a small cough and his eyes began to flutter.

"Shika!" Ino tried to hug him again, bursting into tears. Choji moved her back.

"Give him some room Ino. He's still really weak." Choji stated. He turned to Sakura "Is he going to be ok? Should we take him to the hospital?"

"Well, I did a Chakra Transfer technique on him, but I'm still not that strong at it. I think I essentially jump started his chakra to a safer level. Really Lady Tsunade is the expert on this. I think she could restore–"

"-No…" Shikamaru whispered barely audible. "No hospital…no Tsunade…"

Ino, Choji and Sakura all stared at each other.

"Sakura, is it safe? Will he be ok if we don't take him?"

"Well….I think his recovery will be a bit slower, but essentially he just needs a lot of rest. I have something that will help." She opened her medical bag and pulled out a small red pill. "This has a wonderful restorative quality, and should help ramp up his chakra production quickly. The negative side is that he'll pretty much sleep for days straight. It can also cause some hallucinations, but nothing major."

"Well where are we going to keep him? We can't really take him home like this without his parents asking a million questions. My family will also give me the third degree if I bring him over like this" Ino stated.

"He can stay at my place. My parents are out of town this week" Choji replied.

"Ok, but we need to come up with a story for Lady Tsunade. Not to mention, Shikamaru's parents and Asuma" Sakura pointed out.

Ino looked at Shikamaru determined. "Don't worry, I'll come up with something. If he wants to keep this quiet, then I will make this work somehow. I owe it to him." She looked at Sakura and Choji. "You all in with me?"

"We're in" they replied in unison.

* * *

Temari was jumping through the trees on her way to Konoha. The last conversation with her brother Gaara was running through her head.

"_Reconnaissance? What are you talking about?" Temari asked_

"_There is talk that there are two bounty hunters in the Hidden Rain village that are asking a lot of questions about all the Jinchuriki. I'm worried that they might be linked to the Akatsuki. Which Akatsuki, we don't know. The problem is due to Sand's recent skirmish with the Hidden Rain, they've banned all Sand Ninja from entering their territory. The Hidden Leaf on the other hand….well they are allowed in. They might know information, from ANBU or missions that could help. I need to hear what is going on. We need to hold this information close. Any sign of asking for help would be looked upon as weakness. I'm the new Kazekage, and I don't want any villages getting any ideas that there is any weakness here." _

"_Understood. You can count on me" Temari stated._

She would need to be quick with her wit and convincing on why she was actually in Konoha. She knew one thing for sure….she was not going to let her brother down.

* * *

_Three days later._

"How's he doing?" Choji asked seriously. It had been three days, and his best friend was lying sleeping in the spare room. The sun was setting, and the windows were open. There was a fresh breeze in the room.

Sakura closed her medical bag. "He's done really well actually. His wound on his head is completely healed, and his chakra levels are back to an acceptable level. I reduced his medicine significantly. I think tomorrow he should be up, and starting to move around again."

Choji gave a sigh of relief. "Thank God. That's good to know. That medicine had a really odd effect on him. I mean he was mostly sleeping, but sometimes he'd start talking, but it wasn't making sense. At one point he was talking to a bird on the window sill."

Sakura laughed. "Well…that can happen. When the body falls into the mode of healing there can definitely be a mix of the conscious and subconscious going on. It's only temporary though, he should be back to normal in no time." Sakura paused. "Do you have any idea why his chakra was so low in the first place?"

Choji shook his head sadly. "I don't know. He never opened up to me about that."

Sakura stood up to leave. "Well, once he's back on his feet, we can ask him. I don't want to see him in the same situation again if we can help it." She looked at her watch. "Oh dear….I have to go see Lady Tsunade. I think she's getting suspicious about our story. I don't think I can dodge her questions much longer."

Choji looked so tired standing there. It was obvious that he had been up many hours keeping an eye on his best friend.

"Why don't you get some sleep Choji? Shikamaru is fine, he's totally out of the woods. You've done such a good job watching over him."

Choji smiled. "Well he's the best friend I could ever ask for." Sakura gave Choji a hug goodbye, and then left his home.

Choji looked in the room. Shikamaru seemed to be sleeping peacefully. He decided to take Sakura's advice and head off to his room for some sleep.

* * *

Temari looked out the window of the flat she had rented for her stay. It gave a nice street view of the main road in Konoha. The village was bustling with people going to and fro, kids playing in the street, people going for evening strolls.

Every time that she had come to the village, Shikamaru has been assigned as her escort. Although awkward at first, she came to enjoy their long conversations. She had been hoping to run into him during the afternoon. She had checked out all his usually haunts, but he appeared to be at none of them. Was he sent on a mission? Perhaps Ino would know where he was.

Temari walked down the street towards the Yamanaka Flower shop. It was quickly getting dark, but hopefully it would still be open. She could see the shop lights blazing bright at the end of the street. Suddenly she sensed someone running quickly towards her. Quickly she ducked to the side of the of the flower shop and hid behind the pillar. A blaze of orange ran right into the flower shop. She sighed. It was Naruto. Temari stood by the slightly ajar door but did not enter.

"Ino-Chan!" Naruto greeted loudly.

"Naruto, you're like a bull in a china shop…well flower shop. You don't need to run in here at top speed. You're going to break something."

"Awwh come on Ino. I'm just wondering how Shikamaru is doing. Is he still unconscious or is he back to normal?"

Temari took a sharp breath in. _Unconscious? What had happened? Had he gotten hurt?_ Temari wringed her hands.

"I can't believe that Sakura told you of all people" Ino sighed. "You're the worst secret keeper ever. " Ino put some newly cut flowers in a tall vase. "He's doing a lot better. He's not unconscious anymore, but that medicine really knocked him out. Sakura told me that she thinks he'll be back up tomorrow."

"That's great news! And nobody knows he's at Choji's? This secret is hard to keep. I swear I've been getting looks from Grandma Tsunade and Asuma. Maybe I'm just being paranoid."

Ino laughed. "Probably. Remember don't say anything ok."

Naruto grinned. "Yeah yeah….you don't have to worry about me. You have my word! Ok, I'm going to head off. I'll try to catch up with you all tomorrow."

"See ya Naruto." Naruto exited the flower shop at great speed. Temari took a step back around the corner.

_Unconscious? Asleep for Days? Hiding at Choji's What was going on?_ Temari looked out into the darkness. It was time to pay a visit to Choji's home.

* * *

Choji's home was in a large compound, and tucked away at the base of the forest. The back of the place was covered in large rocky area. The lights were all off, it looked like nobody was there. Temari used her chakra to sense if there were people inside; she could only sense two. There was a large snoring noise coming from one side of the house.

She crept over and peeked in the first window. Inside she could see Choji snoring loudly. She walked down the length of the house, to a room where the windows were wide open. She hopped out onto the ledge, and could see the shadow of someone lying on a bed. She quietly crept in the window and walked over towards the bed.

She took a sharp breath in. It was him. He had on a black tank top, and cropped black sleep pants. His hair was still tied back in his signature ponytail. He looked the same, but also so different from when she last saw him as a proctor at the Chunin exams. His arms and shoulders looked sinewy and strong. His face was sharper. His legs were dangling past the end of the bed indicating that he must now be a good bit taller than she was.

A tendril of hair came loose from his ponytail and fell into his eyes. She sat softly beside him on the bed and gently took the strand of hair and tucked it behind his ear lightly stroking his cheek.

"Oh Shikamaru….what trouble have you gotten yourself into?" she whispered.

Shikamaru slowly stirred. He opened his eyes and looked at Temari, not saying anything. His warm brown eyes stared for at hers for minutes, his pupils slowly becoming larger and larger. He slowly sat up.

"Temari" he murmured. "I missed you beautiful." His voice was soft, barely a whisper.

Temari sat up straight in shock. Shikamaru had never said anything 'romantic' to her before. Their relationship had been strictly professional, with the occasional ribbing and teasing. He missed her? He was calling her beautiful?

"Shikamaru?" she started softly, but was interrupted.

Shikamaru took both his hands and brought her face in towards his. He lightly kissed her lips. It was the lightest feather like kiss, barely grazing her lips. His eyes were closed, and he was holding her face gently.

"What are you doing –"

Shikamaru pulled her in again, this time his kiss was bolder. He applied more pressure and gently sucked her bottom lip. "Temari" he whispered.

What was happening? Why was he kissing her? And why wasn't she shoving him back?

She started to pull back, but then stopped herself. This felt good. This felt so good. The desire in his eyes were blazing, his lips were still on hers drawing her in. She wanted to stop thinking. She slowly ran her finger along his lips, and then returned the kiss. Emboldened, he pulled her in closer, his arms tightening around her, his mouth eager to explore hers. His skin felt so warm, and he smelled fresh, like a meadow of grass. She was getting lost in the kiss, drowning in the feeling.

Her arm hit a book on the night table which fell to the floor with a loud thud.

"Shika? You ok?" Choji's voice called out.

Temari sat straight up and looked at the door. Choji was not there, but she could hear him starting to move from his room. She looked back at Shikamaru. He was lying there with a peaceful look on his face, eyes closed, not moving.

Startled she shook his shoulder. He did not stir, but let out a small snore. _He's sleeping? How he could be sleeping when we were kissing not even a minute ago?_

Loud footsteps were approaching the door. Temari quickly got up and jumped back outside the open window.

"Shika? Is everything –"

Choji looked into his friends' room to see him peacefully lying there. He spied the book lying on the floor. He walked over and picked it up and put it back on the nightstand.

"Must have been the wind" Choji muttered to himself. He walked over to the windows and shut them tightly. "Don't want you catching a cold on top of everything else." He shuffled off back to his room.

Temari stood, disheveled, outside the house. She was flushed red with the memories of moments ago. She touched her lips. What had just happened?

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I really appreciate the reviews I've gotten, and love reading your feedback. So please keep reviewing! = ) Things are about to get awkward when Shikamaru and Temari meet again (this time fully awake), and a new mission is set in motion.**


	4. Chapter 4 - A New Mission

Chapter 4 – A New Mission

Temari tucked the dried desert flowers into her satchel, ready for delivery to the Hokage. She stopped in front of the mirror in her room. She looked the same as she always did, but she felt different. Temari ran her fingers across her lips. Had last night happened? Had her and Shikamaru really kissed? What a kiss that was. That wasn't a stumbling first kiss, it was so full of passion. She had always been secretly drawn to the Leaf ninja, but nothing had ever transpired between them. She blushed as she recalled the kiss…he had called her beautiful. She had no idea that he had feelings like this. She reached back into her satchel and pulled out a small bottle. It was the extract from a camellia flower that had such a beautiful scent. She dabbed a little bit behind her ears.

Temari left her room, and headed down Main street towards the Hokage's office. A million thoughts were running through her head. What was going on with Shikamaru? Would the hokage question why she came to Konoha after being there just a few months ago? How was she going to get information that her brother requested?

Temari continued towards the alleyway near the local bakery. It was a shortcut that Shikamaru had shown her once. She took a few steps down the alleyway when suddenly someone grabbed her arm and slammed her face first into the wall. She tried to grab her fan but a man was pressed up hard against her from behind. She could feel his every muscle pressing into her.

"Get off of me" she hissed trying to move from his grip. She pushed against the wall to no avail.

"I have a message for you Temari" the man whispered in her ear.

_How did this man know her name?_

He pressed harder into her. "You may run away from the Sand Village, but Rasa has friends in high places. In far places. He's made his intentions clear. He's looking to make a powerful alliance through you. And…." The man started chuckling. "He said to make sure to check out the merchandise."

"Get off me!" Temari struggled trying to breathe as she was pressed so hard up against. "My father is not the Kazekage anymore, and Gaara does not agree to this"

"Gaara is young. He still yearns for his fathers approval. I think you should not underestimate Rasa and what he can do. He has years of connections. Powerful connections." He leaned in and pushed his nose against her neck. His sick stench was overbearing.

"Mmmm….you even smell good. But are you fit for purpose?" He took his hands and grabbed her hips and grinded himself hard against her. "Oh yes…I think you'll do just fine."

Temari looked down and saw that he had changed his stance when he had grabbed her hips. It left a small opening for her to move her arm.

"Oh Oba-sama" she whispered in a timid voice. The man started creeping his one hand from her hip to her waist towards her chest.

"Mmm" he grunted as his hand creeped dangerously higher.

"You messed with the wrong Kunoichi."

* * *

Tsunade gazed out the window at the cloudy skies of Konoha. Everywhere she looked there was trouble brewing. Relationships between the villages were acting up again after the attack, the whole Sasuke Orochimaru mess, the Akatsuki. She needed to sort things out, and today was the day she was going to make a start. Shizune walked into her office to drop off some paperwork.

"Shizune. Did you contact everyone I requested? Are they all coming?" she asked rifling through the papers.

"Yes Hokage. They really should be here any min-"

"You called lovely lady?"

Both the ladies turned around to see Jiraiya crouching in the window sill with a big grin on his face. Jiraiya was larger than life, and his smile never failed to put Tsunade at ease. He was the one constant in her life, and as big as a pain of the ass he could be, she was always happy to see his smiling face.

"Ah Jiraiya. Always lurking in windows and rooftops."

"Well why mess with success?" Jiraiya said with a smile. He climbed in the window so that he was properly in her office. "Are you expecting anyone else, or is this a special meeting for the two of us" he said with a wink.

"That'll be all Shizune." Tsunade closed the door.

Jiraiya smiled. "Should I take this as a good sign? Have my fates finally turned?"

Tsunade laughed. "Well…unfortunately it is not what you think. I've called Kakashi and Asuma to this meeting also."

Jiraiya groaned. He sat down and stretched out his long legs. "Oh man…Kakashi. We're going to end up waiting here for a while."

Tsunade smiled knowingly. "Well that's why I gave him a time thirty minutes earlier than you and Asuma. Hopefully he won't be later than that."

On cue, Kakashi and Asuma entered the office. "Hokage…Master Jiraiya" they both greeted. Asuma went and sat down beside Jiraiya, and Kakashi leaned against Tsunade's desk.

Tsunade crossed her arms and looked at the men. "I've called you here today because there has been a lot of strange occurrences going on. Most of them involving your students."

The men all looked at each other puzzled.

"Am I going to have to spell it out for you." She pulled out her hands to begin counting on her fingers.

"One. Shikamaru's been missing for three days. Two. Ino, Sakura, Naruto and Choji came up with some piss poor story on why he's away. Three. I know he passed out at a restaurant on Main street. Do you think something like that would go unnoticed in this town? Four. Sakura has been secretly treating him and lying to me about it. Five. We have a Jounin here from the Sand Village for a D rank mission. Why? Clearly something else is going on. Six. There are reports of bounty hunters enquiring about Jinchuriki in Hidden Rain Village. "

"Seven" Jiraiya added. "I've gotten some intel that there has been some Akatsuki sightings in the area."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "First this Shikamaru business. Asuma, what is going on?"

Asuma was fiddling with his cigarette package. "Well….you know I'm not technically their team leader anymore. So….I don' t know?" His voice cracked at the end.

"You don't know? You don't know what's going on with Shikamaru. I find that hard to believe. Your protégé? You two are practically joined at the hip. I think everyone knows he was up to something, but what is it? I put up with a lot from this rogue group, but dishonesty is not one of them. Start talking now."

Asuma sighed. "Men sometimes need –" He stopped, trying to make sense of what he wanted to say. "He was very rattled by what happened to his team, when they went tried to retrieve Sasuke from the Sound Four."

Tsunade frowned. "Yes, I know that. But he resolved to work hard, and become stronger for his team. I thought he was fine now."

"It was his first mission as squad leader. Every member of his team was badly hurt except him. That affects a man. He felt like he failed them."

Kakashi nodded in understanding.

"Go on" Tsunade prompted.

"Well...he didn't talk to me about this, but of course I've secretly been keeping an eye on him. I think he was attempting to make a 'finishing move'. You know his Shadow possession technique uses a lot of chakra. Well when he holds people for a length of time it saps all his reserves. He was trying to find a way mix his Shadow technique with a fire technique. Essentially freeze then torch."

"That's pretty cool" Jiraiya muttered.

"Combining Yin and Fire natures.. That's very advanced even for Jounin. He should be supervised. Why weren't you helping him. You must have seen the toll it was taking on him."

"You don't understand Shikamaru. I find with him he needs to work it out in his head first. I didn't want to interfere as it was a matter of pride for him. He needed to do it on his own. He was getting close…I think he almost has it."

"He almost killed himself trying! Then this merry band of idiots didn't do a very good job covering it up. Where they get off lying to me" she trailed off as she started pacing the cluttered office.

Jiraiya got up to lean beside Kakashi at the desk. The pile of papers on her desk started to lean precariously. "Oh I don't know. Is it really a bad thing? I don't mean Shikamaru getting hurt, but the cover up. At least it shows how they watch out for each other. They really act like teammates now. They banded together and took care of it. We really can't ask for much more than that can we?"

The four experienced Shinobi all looked at each other. What he said was true. Teamwork was often what kept them from crossing the line between life and death.

"They've come a long way" Asuma stated. "I think we were a lot more troublesome than this group was. I know I got up to my fair share of hijinks. Kakashi too." He looked at Tsunade and Jiraiya. "Your team – Oh my God…that's got to be the most screwed up –"

"The word you are looking for is legendary" Tsunade finished with a stern look. Asuma gulped and decided to keep quiet.

"That may be true, but I think what Shikamaru needs is a good mission. To get back on his feet. To get his confidence back. Something that would use his skills. He's the best strategist in the village after all." Tsunade tapped a folder on her desk. "I think I have the perfect thing." She gave a little smirk. "I've called him here….but I think I'm going to mess with him a bit first." She called out loudly. "Shizune, call in Shikamaru."

Shikamaru walked into the room, startled to see the room full of people. He looked refreshed and healthier than he had in months.

"Shikamaru!" Tsunade said warmly. "Welcome back from your trip. Did it go well?"

He bit his lip, clearly unprepared for this questioning. He really should have spent some time speaking with Ino. He hadn't had much time. After he woke up, he had gotten the urgent message to come see the Hokage right away.

"Yes Lady Tsunade. Thank-you"

"I mean….a deer emergency? I've never heard of such a thing. I would have thought Shikaku would have mentioned it, he was just here earlier."

Tsunade smiled as she watched Shikamaru's eyes widen. She had just made up this deer story on the spot, but it was not much better than the nonsense story that Ino had fed her earlier this week.

"Ummm….well…deer can be quite particular. They are important to my clan…aah"

Asuma put his head in his hands trying not to look.

"I never knew that deer pair bonded to members of your clan. To imagine you carried that fawn on your shoulders up the mountain to perform that ritual. It sounds so special. Why did you never mention this to me beforehand?"

"I….ah….I…well you know me…I don't like to brag" Sweat started forming at Shikamaru's brow.

"So what name did you give your fawn in the naming ritual?"

"Aaah come on now Tsunade" Jiraiya said leaning back further on the desk. The pile of papers that had been leaning came crashing to the floor revealing an Icha Icha novel stashed underneath.

"Wow! Icha Icha Tactics!" Jiraiya exclaimed picking up the book. "I didn't know you read my books!" He turned to the dog eared page. "Hmmmm…..I see you appreciate the bath house scene hey?" He gave her a wink. "I was inspired by a certain someone-"

"Kakashi!" Tsunade yelled. "What have I told you about leaving your books around." Her face was turning a crimson shade.

"That's not mine-" Kakashi started checking his pocket for his favourite book. It was safely stashed there.

"Mmmmm…." Jiraiya said, a smile etched on his face as he watched Tsunade squirm.

"Well it must be Shizune's then. Anyways we are getting hopelessly off track. Shikamaru, I've called you here to discuss a new mission."

Shikamaru stood up straight. "I'm listening."

"Well, this will be an intelligence gathering mission, but it is in the Village of the Hidden Rain. That Village is notoriously closed off to outsiders, so it will not be an easy task to infiltrate. We have word that there are bounty hunters in search of Jinchuriki. We need to know if they are working for or with the Akatsuki on this. We need to know what their plans so we can strategize on how best to protect Naruto. You are not to engage in battle at this time, we only need information at this time."

Kakashi looked at Tsunade concerned. "Hokage, that is a very dangerous mission. Do you think this is a wise idea? I think a more experienced Jounin might be more appropriate."

Tsunade nodded. "I understand your concern Kakashi. It is a dangerous mission. Definitely A rank. But I think I have the right man for the job. I think Shikamaru will excel at coming up with multiple ways to gather intelligence without being noticed. The three of you are rather famous. Besides, I need you, Jiraiya and Asuma to investigate the Akatsuki sightings in the Mist and the Rain. They may be linked, and if so, the three of you can support Shikamaru." She turned to Shikamaru. "Do you accept this mission?"

Shikamaru was standing gaping at her with a deer in the headlights look.

"I….er…..are you sure I'm the right person? I mean, I'm not even a Jounin yet."

Tsunade smirked. "What happened to stepping up? Yes, I believe I've chosen the right person. I suggest you keep your team to one other person. More than two people would start to look conspicuous."

Shikamaru considered his options. Choji was always his obvious first choice, but he was not often good at being subtle. Ino might be a better choice, and her mind possession technique would definitely come in handy in gathering intel from a distance. Although, he was still a bit pissed with her for trying to use that technique on him, and travelling with her was a nightmare. The whole thing was turning into a real pain already.

The door slammed open, and a man with a Cat Anbu mask burst in.

"Hokage. We caught a ninja attacking a member of our Village. It's that traitor from this Hidden Sand". A second Anbu member dragged in the offending ninja into the office. Her hands were bound and her face had a purple bruise under her eye."

"Temari!" Shikamaru exclaimed shocked at the sight of her. "When did you get into town?"

"What!?" Temari hissed. "What do you mean when? You know I was he-"

"What is going on here?" Tsunade demanded. "Release the girl. I want to question her myself."

The Anbu members untied her hands. Tsunade watched the girl as she stood in front of her. What was the meaning of this? Temari had been an ally to the Leaf for some time now. Why would she attack a member of their village? She looked at Tamari's hands. The normally stoic girl was trembling. Tsunade turned to the Anbu member.

"What happened? Spare no details."

"There's not much to tell. We were patrolling the area, when we heard a man start screaming. When we got there, this Sand Ninja had crushed his arm and practically ripped it from the socket. It was Akemi Inuzuka. He's in a bad way, we took him straight to the hospital."

Tsunade frowned. The Inuzuka clan were a respected and prominent clan in Konoha. "Is this true Temari?"

"Yes" Temari stated coldly.

"And why would you do such a thing?"

"He deserved it."

Tsunade continued observing the girl. The Sand Ninja prided themselves on never showing emotion, they even had specialized training for it. Even with all that training she could tell that Temari was on the brink of losing it. She was visibly shaking, and her eyes were getting watery. Something was very wrong. It was a look that Tsunade had seen before. She glanced at the men in the room. They all looked on edge, and Shikamaru looked worried.

"Everyone leave. I need to speak to Temari alone."

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading! And thanks again for the reviews, I love getting them! I totally ship Jiraiya/Tsunade too, so I wanted a cute scene with them. Sorry for the delay on this chapter, I was away on vacation!**


	5. Chapter 5 - A Rooftop Proposal

Chapter 5 – A Rooftop Proposal

The men exited the room and left Temari standing in front of the Hokage. She was doing her best to maintain her composure, but Tsunade could see that the girl was breaking. Tsunade put her hand on her shoulder.

"Temari. Sit down. I'll get you glass of water." She walked over and filled a glass from the pitcher on her side table. She put the glass down in front of her. Temari slumped down into the chair. Tsunade sat down beside her.

"I want to hear your side of the story. You've been an ally to our village from some time now, so I know you would not do something like that unprovoked. What did this man do?"

Temari continued looking straight ahead. It was as if she was willing the dam in her eyes not to burst. Why was she so emotional? She had dealt with the situation. The man grinding on her and grabbing her body had felt disgusting, but what was worse, was that it had been encouraged by her own father. How could he do this to her? His own child? He had put that message out there. She had been lucky this time, who knows what would happen the next time? What if a group attacked her instead of an individual? The thought pushed her over the edge. The tears started flowing freely from her eyes. She quickly covered them with her hands.

Tsunade looked at the girl worried. She was showing all the signs that she had been assaulted. What had happened this afternoon? She cracked her knuckles in anger at the thought. Well one thing was for sure, she was going to find out, and if it was as she suspected, there would be hell to pay. That kind of behaviour was not acceptable in her village. Not with her as Hokage.

"I hate him…." Temari sobbed. "I hate my father so much. How could he do this to me?"

Tsunade looked up startled. "What? Rasa the fourth Kazekage? What does he have to do with this?"

Temari looked up at the Hokage. She was a woman who she had admired for a long time. The stories of her during the Shinobi World Wars were the things of legends. She had so few women role models in her own life, she always enjoyed any interaction she could have with Lady Tsunade. And now she was here blubbering in front of her like a child. She had to get herself together. She wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"Nothing. I'm sorry I mentioned it" Temari said quietly.

Tsunade frowned. The girl was keeping herself from opening up, and now there was the added twist of her father. She shuddered. Rasa had never given her a good feeling the few times she had met him. What did he do to get his own daughter in this state?. She still needed to get down to the heart of the matter of what happened this afternoon, and why there was a member of the Inuzuka clan in the hospital with his arm practically ripped off.

"Temari. I'm sorry to push you, but I need to know what happened. If I don't have any answers, this simply looks like an attack of the Sand Village on the Leaf. I need answers before the whole thing escalates out of control. I know you don't want that. How about we just start from the beginning." She gave a slight squeeze to her shoulder. "You can trust me Temari. Where were you walking to?"

"I was heading to your office to deliver the flowers you requested from my village. I turned from the main road to an alleyway that is near that Bakery near the main square as a shortcut to your office. "

"Go on"

"A man grabbed me and pushed me against a wall and he…ahh.."

"It's ok Temari, continue. Don't feel embarrassed."

"He grabbed my hips and pushed himself hard against me with his…" Temari flushed red. "Umm…well you know what I mean. Then he groped me a bit with his hand. He opened up his stance slightly, and that's when I got my arm free and countered by pulling and attacking his arm. He screamed, and then the ANBU were there. That's it. That's the whole story."

Tsunade sighed. It angered her that she had to go through that experience. She was at such a impressionable age. "I'm sorry that this happened to you. Be assured that this will be dealt with appropriately. I will see to it personally." She got up and walked over back to her desk. "Do you believe this was targeted to you specifically?"

Temari's face was getting paler by the minute. She got up out of her chair and went to the window that overlooked Konoha. Her red rimmed eyes gazed over the expanse of the village. "Is this what it is like? To be an adult woman? Suddenly everyone pushes their own will on you?"

She looked back at her thoughtfully. "It doesn't have to be. I think there are those that think that way, but there are those who do not. We need to be vigilant to help make the future better so that women in the future don't face the same struggles that we do." Tsunade could tell there was still more to this story. "Does this have to do with your father?"

"We don't see eye to eye on how my life should be. On what my role should be. He's trying to teach me a lesson, but he doesn't understand the cost." She sniffed. "Or he does understand the cost, but he simply doesn't care….I don't know anymore."

"Have you tried talking to him? Perhaps if you sat down with him, and have your brother mediate, you two could come to an understanding."

"Our last talk resulted in me being slapped in the face. I can't go back. Suna is full of his people, his allies. You don't understand. Something bad will happen to me if I go back….I know it."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. What lesson was Rasa trying to teach here? One that would put Temari in danger?

* * *

"Dammit" Asuma said cracking his knuckles as he closed the door. The four men gathered outside in the hall outside the office.

Jiraiya approached him. "This doesn't look good. Did you hear the same things I heard?"

"In the back rooms of bars. Yeah, I heard some things. I didn't really think anything of it, I thought it was just drunken talk. Testing out the Sand Princess. But the look on her face….dammit. Not here. Not in our village of all places."

_Testing out the Sand Princess? What had happened to Temari? She had tears in her eyes, and she never cries. Hell, she made fun of him for crying after his last major mission. _Shikamaru looked at his sensei's anxiously. "What are you guys talking about? What bar talk?"

"Well let's not jump to conclusions. It looks like she might have handled it." Jiraiya stated. "She reminds me of Tsunade, and no one pushes her around."

"Can someone tell me what's going on here?" Shikamaru demanded.

Asuma sighed. Shikamaru's long walks with Temari had not gone unnoticed by him. There was a spark between those two, even though they were both too stubborn to realize it. He wasn't sure how his student would react, but he was leaning towards not well.

"There's been some talk going around. Basically The Fourth Kazekage Rasa is looking to get Temari married soon, and the rumour was to 'test her out', and if they were interested to contact him."

Shikamaru clenched his fist in anger. "No. That's can't be true. Why would her father would say that? It's essentially putting a huge target on her back! It must be untrue. He wouldn't do that to his own daughter."

Kakashi crossed his arms as he leaned back against the wall. "Don't forget, this is the same man that tried to assassinate his own son. Multiple times. He also tried to convince Gaara that his own mother never loved him. The man doesn't seem to have any moral compass. So I wouldn't be so quick to assume that he would not do such a thing. A Kage's word holds weight."

A look of panic struck Shikamaru's face. "I have to talk to her. Now." He started pushing past the men to get to the Hokage's door.

"Wait, don't interrupt them. Let them talk." Jiraiya ordered.

It was too late. Shikamaru entered the office and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Shikamaru scanned the room, Temari was nowhere to be seen. The Hokage was standing at her desk, packing up to leave to the hospital. She had a certain someone to interrogate.

"Where is she? I need to talk to her."

"Shikamaru – I think" Tsunade stopped herself. The young ninja looked besides himself, it was apparent that the men had been discussing the situation outside. Did they know something that she didn't? She would talk to Jiraiya on her way out.

She had noticed Shikamaru's interest peaked when this particular Sand Ninja was in town. The look on his face made sense. Perhaps a friend was what Temari needed right now. She would not stand in his way.

"Shikamaru. She's on the roof. She needed some fresh air and some quiet. Don't go out there with some plan of action. Just listen to her. I think that is what she needs most."

"Thanks Lady Tsunade." He ran over to her window and hopped onto the ledge. He stepped on the roof, but did not see her. He walked over the red tiles, until he saw her figure, sitting and leaning against a chimney holding her knees to her chest. He stopped himself. She looked so pretty sitting there quietly. Her sandy blonde hair was all over the place, and her vibrant teal eyes were staring straight ahead. She was watching the sun slowly set over Konoha.

"You picked one of my favourite spots for the view" he said softly. He sat down beside her.

Temari looked at Shikamaru. How much had changed in just a few hours. This morning, she was thinking about their kiss, and fussing in front of the mirror, making sure that she looked nice for when they saw each other again. Now she was sitting here disheveled, eyes bloodshot, a bruise under her eye.

"I guess I can't call you a crybaby anymore " Temari said with a sad smile. "You can call me one now."

Shikamaru gave her a smile. "I may not know how to talk to girls, but even I'm not that stupid." He looked at her concerned. "Temari….are you ok? I'm worried. I heard some things."

She smoothed out her kimono and tucked her legs in even tighter. "I'm ok. I handled it. I'm just disappointed in my –" Temari stopped. She could feel the tears start to return to her eyes. She couldn't bring up her father without tearing up.

The look on her face said it all. The rumours that Asuma had stated must be true. He shuddered at the thought. He couldn't imagine his father ever acting is such a perverse and cruel way. The thought of men thinking they could just paw at her at will. Or worse. He couldn't let her go back.

He turned to her. "Temari, I have a proposal. I was just assigned a new mission, and I want you to be my partner. "

Temari looked at him surprised. "Me?, I'm not even from your village. I don't think you can just assign a ninja from a neighbouring village without permission from their Kage."

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you have a lot of pull with the Kazekage? You can convince Gaara couldn't you?"

She looked at Shikamaru. It was obvious what he was trying to do. Sweet, but not necessary as far as she was concerned.

"You don't need to protect me Shikamaru. I can take care of myself. I'm a Jounin. I know how to watch my back. "

"I know that. I saw you level a whole damn forest in one swoop. I just think you'd be a good partner for me for this mission."

Temari raised her eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"Well, without telling you too much before getting approval, it's a bit of an intelligence gathering mission in the Hidden Rain. So a two man team only. I need someone that is good with strategy, who can be incognito and can hold their own if we get into a sticky situation."

"Wouldn't Ino be a good choice for that? I thought the Yamanaka Clan were famous for their intelligence gathering skills. Plus she is your team mate, you're used to working with her."

"Ino would be a great choice, but I don't feel comfortable in less than a three man team with her. When she uses her jutsu, she is completely vulnerable to attack. We need a dedicated person to keep her safe when she's in that mode. If there is just me as the other person, I'm wide open to attack and Ino wouldn't be safe either. I just don't think it's wise." He paused. "There is also the fact that you're a girl."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"I just think it'll garner less questions from outsiders. People see two strange men in their village, they start to ask questions about who they are. If they see a man and women, they assume they are just another couple travelling."

"I see. You want me to pose as your girlfriend" Temari said with a slight smile.

Shikamaru flushed red. "For the mission of course"

"Of course."

She looked at Shikamaru. He looked so cute all embarrassed at the mention of the girlfriend word. What was going on with him? Was he not going to mention that they were kissing last night? That he pulled her into his bed.

"Shikamaru. What were you doing last night?" she asked softly.

Shikamaru started to feel panicked. He could not remember much from the past three days, it was just a blurry sleep induced haze. Why was she asking? "Umm…well, nothing out of the ordinary. I just went to bed early." He watched as her face fell. A look of sadness clouded her eyes again.

"Oh, I see" she replied. The look on his face said it all. He genuinely didn't remember, he must have been in a dream state from the medicine that Sakura gave him. All the feelings that she felt with that kiss remained solely her own.

"So…about the mission. Are you interested?"

She refused to go back to Suna right now, and this may be a good option to get the information that her brother had requested. The mission was in the hidden rain, which is exactly where he wanted intel from.

"I'm in."

"Great" Shikamaru replied. "I just need to convince Lady Tsunade. Assuming that goes well, we'll head out first thing tomorrow."

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading. If you are enjoying, I'd really appreciate a review! And thank you so much to those who have reviewed previous chapters, I love reading them.**


	6. Chapter 6 - The Argument

Chapter 6 - The Argument

Temari set down the delicately painted rose teacup in front of her. The warm orange pekoe tea was exactly what she needed this early morning before her mission. Lady Tsunade was kind enough to call her over this morning. Last night, the Hokage had not initially been receptive the idea of her going with Shikamaru, but he had done an excellent job of convincing her on how the sand jounin's skill would be an asset to the mission. Lady Tsunade was gazing out the window lost in thought. The way her arms were crossed and her frown was not giving Temari confidence. She did not want her to change her mind.

"Lady Tsunade. I know you're apprehensive about sending me. But besides what Shikamaru said, I think the most important thing I can say to you is that my brother is also a Jinchuriki. He's a target as much as Naruto is. And I swear on my life, I will do everything in my power to protect him. If I can do that through this mission, I need to do it. I'll never forgive myself if something happens to him that I could have helped to prevent."

A wave of sadness passed over Lady Tsunade's eyes. She understood more than words could say. Not a day passed by when she didn't think of Nawaki's smiling face.

"You have my blessing to go. I have sent word to Gaara. If he calls you back or disagrees to this mission, I will send word, and you are to turn back at once." She looked at the young woman before her. She reminded her of herself in so many ways. Headstrong, determined and a bit of a temper to boot. She was glad the young woman had confided in her. Perhaps she could help guide her life path, to one that was not so difficult as her own had been. She looked down and saw that Jiraiya was speaking to Shikamaru down on the street. It appeared that he was giving his own advice to the young man.

"Temari, can I impart some advice to you before you go? Not particularly about the mission but more on life."

Temari looked up surprised. "Oh course Lady Tsunade. I would be honoured."

"Don't follow my path…it doesn't." Tsunade stopped. "It doesn't lead to happiness. I look at my life, I feel I ended up jaded, full of vices and cynical." She gazed at Jiraiya speaking down in the courtyard. There was a peace and happiness about him, that she had never yet achieved. He was always the optimist, while she had always been pessimistic.

"Have faith in people. Look at what's in their hearts, and not what comes out of their mouths. Shikamaru, he can be infuriating at times. Stubborn, a tad apathetic, old fashioned in his views on men and women, but also fiercely loyal. Moral. He thinks for himself. You know, Iruka told me that he was the one person in this village that showed Naruto kindness when he was a child. I'm sure you can relate better than others, on how people treated Gaara when he was young."

Temari nodded. It was true, Gaara had sought friendship only to be shunned over and over. It nearly destroyed him. She didn't know this fact about Shikamaru.

"Just keep that in mind when he infuriates you, which I am sure will happen. Take the glass half full approach. It will serve you better in life." She looked wistfully at Jiraiya. "I wish I had treated certain people differently in my life and made different choices." She came from behind her desk and gave Temari a hug. "Watch each others backs. I want to see you both back here safely."

"I will Hokage-sama" She looked at Lady Tsunade thoughtfully. She knew the two saanin were close, but she now saw the connection between them was much deeper. "You know, your story is still being written. It is not complete."

Tsunade smiled sadly. "We will see….we will see."

* * *

"Did you catch all of that. This is valuable information I'm giving you" Jiraiya stated.

"Yes, thank-you Master Jiraiya. You know more about the Hidden Rain village than anyone. Although, I don't think we can take the same approach into entering the hidden rain. I don't have a frog contract that I could utilize. But given that, I think we could enter a little more easily. I'm not a six foot four legendary saanin and author that the whole world seems to know about."

Jiraiya let out a big belly laugh and smacked Shikamaru on the shoulder. "Well that's true son. " He looked up towards the window to see Tsunade with her back turned the window. He assumed she was talking to Temari. He poked Shikamaru in the ribs. "So taking Temari huh? Very interesting choice. She's quite the spitfire it appears."

"More like pain in the ass. But a good ninja. I think she'd be an asset to the mission."

"Not too hard on the eyes either. Right?" Jiraiya winked.

"God, Naruto was right. You really are a pervert."

"Hey! I'm not blind. An author is wise to make observations of people." Jiraiya grinned as he looked at the boy. It was a story as old as time. Why were the smart ones always so clueless? Minato was the same way with Kushina. He looked up at the window. "She kind of reminds me of Tsu in a way."

"What like super scary and violent? Yeah maybe."

"Strong. That's what you want in a woman. Believe me. There is strength in battle, and strength in character. I can tell she has both in spades. Listen, on this mission, watch your backs. Not only because of the mission, but this business that Rasa has started might rear its ugly head. And don't be afraid to –" Jiraiya paused.

"What is it?"

"Step up and be a man. There is a time for thinking and there is a time to step up and take action. On missions and in life. Keep them in balance, and you will have success."

Shikamaru gulped. It was good advice.

"Good luck. If you need my help at any time, get Temari to summon Kamatari. Kamatari will find me, and I will come."

"Thank-you Master Jiraiya."

Jiraiya gave the young man a smile and started walking back into the main street of the village. He was worried. This mission was not as simple as it appeared.

* * *

Shikamaru waited for Temari in front of the Hokage's office. He hoped that Lady Tsunade had not changed her mind at the last minute.

Suddenly Temari appeared at the landing with a bright smile on her face. He froze. She was dressed so differently than she normally was. She had taken the 'couple' scenario to heart, and was wearing an ash blue yukata that ended right above the knee with a soft pink sash covered in a sakura blossom print. Her sandy blonde hair was tied back in two ponytails instead of four, and her bangs were swept to the side which gave her an older more mature look. She had even done something to her iron fan that made it look more decorative rather than a massive weapon. She looked absolutely stunning. This wouldn't do….this wouldn't do at all.

"What are you wearing?" Shikamaru said in a hushed tone.

Temari smiled did a little twirl. "This old thing? Well, I didn't want to look like a kunoichi, and I thought this looked like good 'girlfriend' wear. Don't worry though I'm still prepared." She lifted the hem of her yukata to reveal her shapely leg. Tied to it were multiple kunai and a bundle of paper bombs. "I've got more hidden on me too."

"It's not that. We're trying NOT to attract attention. You looking like this is going to have the opposite effect."

"What do you mean?"

Shikamaru flushed red. "You know what I mean. Don't you have a coat or something in your bag? We'll never go unnoticed if every man is ogling you as we pass by."

Temari smirked. "Ogling me? I'm surprised you even noticed I'm a girl Nara." She put down her bag, and pulled out a coat. She wrapped the brown cloak over her yukata.

"Well I'm not blind" Shikamaru muttered. He cringed. Not even ten minutes into the trip and he was already quoting Naruto's pervy sage. He started walking ahead quickly.

"Hmmm good to know." Temari looked up ahead at Shikamaru who kept increasing his pace. His cheeks were still flushed red. Perhaps there was more to this than he was letting on. That kiss couldn't have come out of nowhere. Even in a dream, right? So he thought she looked nice? Well he was not the only one. Shikamaru was wearing more casual clothes, but had covered himself in a long blue cloak which made him look a bit older. He looked quite dashing.

She ran a few steps ahead to catch up to him. They had a three day journey to the Rain, but first they had to pass through the Nara Clans lands. She looked at him, but he was staring straight ahead. His face let on no emotion.

"So Nara, why were you unconscious for three days?"

Shikamaru stopped dead in his tracks. He looked over at Temari who had a mischievous grin on her face.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh really?"

"Yes really"

"So you weren't staying at Choji's and Sakura was not coming by daily and treating you?"

Shikamaru started walking again picking up the pace. "Like I said, I don't know what you're talking about. Where are you getting this from?"

"Let's just say your friends are not great at keeping things on the down low. It's ok, I'm your teammate now. You can trust me. So there is nothing to that rumour I heard about you passing out at a restaurant on Main Street."

"What are you, stalking me?"

"No, but a rumour like that? Of course it peaked my interest. "

"Rumours are just that. Rumours. Like I said, there is nothing to tell" Shikamaru said with finality.

"Ok, but not being honest with your teammate is not a good start for us" she taunted in a singsong voice.

Shikamaru glared at her. Women. They were just at the start of the trip and she was already causing problems. Why couldn't she just keep quiet, and look at nature or something? How did she know about this, and why was she ribbing him about it? She just wouldn't drop it. How would she feel if he antagonized her? There was only one way to find out.

"So I hear you're going to get married soon. Who is the unlucky guy?"

Temari sucked in her breath. Was he really bring that up? After everything that happened yesterday.

"I am not getting married. Not anytime soon"

"Well, given your personality, that's probably wise."

"EXCUSE ME? A man would be lucky to be with me! You on the other hand, are the hopeless case."

"That's fine with me. I never want to get married. Women are nothing but trouble." Shikamaru smirked at Temari. "So is that why you come to the Village so often? Scoping out your prospects? Are you another one of Sasuke-Kun's fangirls?"

Temari felt like she was gut punched. Is that what he thought? She had spent the majority of her time talking with him. Not that it was why she was visiting the Hidden Leaf. "Why are you jealous? Well Sasuke is gorgeous, a super skilled ninja and a genius to boot. But he's not –"

"He's also a traitor" Shikamaru interrupted.

"-my type" Temari finished.

They stared at each other. The tone had gotten dark, and it appeared they were going to a place that would be hard to turn back from.

"And what is your type? Some dumb muscled idiot that couldn't reason their way out of a paper bag? Or is it some meek spineless jerk who just follows your demands cause he lost the will to live from being around you."

Temari stopped walking. Her face flushed red. "What?"

"Perhaps you should look for a guy that can't hear that well. That way he can be spared the endless nagging you're sure to impart on him."

She walked up to him and pointed her finger to his chest. "Fine. You got me. I have a horrible personality. Good to know. Thanks for the information Nara." She stalked off ahead of him.

"Temari" he called out.

She kept walking. He didn't mean for it to go this far. He didn't really think that she had a bad personality at all. Actually quite the opposite was true. She was just pissing him off though. He didn't want his secret training out. It made him feel weak, and he didn't want to feel that way in front of her.

They continued walking in silence until dusk. Without a word, they stopped at a clearing. This would be their stopping point for the evening. They were still in the Nara Clan grounds, as it extended far past the village. Shikamaru knew this area well.

Temari lay down her tatami mat, and then started gathering kindling. She did not, for one second look at Shikamaru. He started gathering some larger logs to assist in making a fire. She had wandered a bit farther into the forest. She returned with a handful of mushrooms, some greens and water she had collected from the creek. Soon there was a blazing fire before them.

Temari pulled out a small pot, a package of rice and seasoning spices from her bag. Soon she was cooking a delicious smelling soup with the items she had brought and found. She ripped some cured meat that she had packed into the soup. He was surprised at her resourcefulness. He had just packed some dried ramen in a cup for their travels.

It smelled delicious, but Shikamaru did not dare to ask of he could have a bowl. He wasn't sure what her reaction would be.

Temari filled two bowls and walked over and handed him one. She went back to a stump that looked out towards the creek and sat down.

"Thank-you" he said softly. "Listen Temari-"

"We don't have to talk. You've been quite clear that you prefer silence to me talking. So let's just get this mission over with, and we can go back to our respective villages." She took a sip of the soup.

Shikamaru put the bowl of soup to his lips. It was warm and spicy and tasted surprisingly good for how few ingredients it had in it. It was kind of her to share it with him.

"Temari –I didn't"

"Please leave me alone." She took off her coat and tossed it onto her tatami mat. It was getting dark so nobody would see the yukata she had put on. She walked down towards the creek and leaned against a tree, watching the water babble by.

Shikamaru looked at Temari. He had really made a mess of things. He didn't want to talk about his training, but there was no reason to lash out at her the way he did. He was nothing but mean after he decided to get her back, and bringing up the marriage topic was low. He knew how sensitive she was about that subject given all the stuff happening with her father.

Her blue yukata was billowing softly in the wind. Her 'girlfriend' wear as she put it. It was actually very simple in design, and something a traveler would wear. But she looked so stunning in it, he couldn't help his reaction. The thin silk material hugged her body in all the right places. Was he wrong to ask her to cover up? Hell, Ino typically wore a hell of a lot less than that, it and never bothered him in the least. Why was Temari different? Why did she elicit such a reaction out of him?

He needed to make up with her, but how could he when she wouldn't even talk to him. He closed his eyes. "Think Nara think."

He gazed out into the forest. He had the perfect idea. But would it help?

* * *

It was starting to get cold so Temari decided to head back away from the creek and to their campsite. She was a few hundred yards from the site when Shikamaru stepped out from the shadows in front of her holding a folded black cloth. He grabbed her hand.

"Come with me" he whispered. She yanked her hand out of his.

"What are you doing?"

"Please , I need you to trust me."

"Unlikely. Tell me what you want."

"I want you to put this blindfold on."

"No way…no way. I am not doing that" Temari said startled. Just what was Nara up to?

"Please Temari. Let me do this. I need to show you something. It's important."

"But why the blindfold?"

"Like I said, I need you to trust me."

She looked at Shikamaru apprehensively. There was something about his eyes that told her to believe him. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. "Ok….but you better not piss me off, or I'll make you pay. I'm not kidding."

"Understood. Now turn around". He gently tied the blindfold over her eyes. "Now I need you to keep really quiet. We're going to walk for about five minutes, and then we are going to sit down. Don't say anything until I give you the ok."

"Ok" Temari replied.

Temari felt her hand get enveloped in Shikamaru's hand. His hands were calloused and cut in places, but very warm. He held her hand tightly. Slowly he guided her with his arm around her shoulder for what felt like eternity, before he signaled her by tapping on her back to sit down. As she sat, she could feel soft grass beneath her. Shikamaru sat beside her. She felt him untying the blindfold, and it fell onto her lap.

She slowly opened her eyes, which needed adjusting from darkness to the moonlight. At first she couldn't see much of anything, but slowly her eyes adjusted. They were in a meadow that was not far from where they had set up camp. It was a quiet grassy area surrounded by trees and a small brook. It was very serene.

She heard a branch break on the forest floor. Her arm tensed up, but Shikamaru held her hand tighter in reassurance. Then she saw it.

It was magnificent. A huge stag with a full set of antlers stepped into the moonlight meadow. The beast was majestic as it slowly walked towards them. Two more sets of eyes emerged from the forest. It was a beautiful doe, and a little fawn. They walked up joining the stag. Temari dropped her mouth open in wonder. She was from the Sand Village, and they did not have such animals there. She had seen deer before in her travels, but never one so close and personal. They were absolutely breathtaking.

"They've approached. You can talk now, but keep it quiet."

"They're so beautiful" Temari whispered. "I've never seen anything like it."

Shikamaru slowly got up from the grass and approached the large stag. He held his hand out in front of him. The stag walked up and lightly head-butted his hand.

"This is Taaresh. His name means gentle. I've known him my whole life. The doe is Ra, and the little fawn is named Aiko."

The fawn approached Temari. It was so small, it could have only been one month old. It's eyes were huge and expressive, its fur covered in small white spots. Aiko walked right next to her.

"Is it safe? Can I touch her?"

Shikamaru nodded. "I'm actually surprised. They are very comfortable with you it appears."

Temari held out her hand, and the small fawn immediately nuzzled it. It then sat down beside her while Temari scratched her head. "Hello little one" she whispered.

Shikamaru returned and sat down beside her. He reached over and gave Aiko a little scratch on her backside. "Hey there little Aiko"

He looked at Temari. She had tears in her eyes, as she gently stroked the fawn between the eyes. The little deer looked so comfortable , it looked like it may fall asleep in her lap.

"Tem…I'm so sorry. I was rude earlier, and I didn't mean what I said. You don't have a bad personality. Far from it. You actually might be one of my favourite people to talk to if I'm being honest. Something did happen recently, but I don't want to talk about it. I lashed out at you in defense, but I shouldn't have done that."

She wiped the tear from her eye. What Shikamaru had arranged with the deer was so touching. It was something that she would always treasure. How could he be so rude one minute, and then do something so tender the next? Lady Tsunade words came back to her. Actions not words. She knew she was not faultless in this situation. She had been jeering him on a topic that he clearly didn't want to talk about.

"I'm sorry too. I promise not to bring up that topic again since you don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry for pestering you about it. It was not nice of me. And –"

"Yes?"

"You are one of my favourite people to talk to also. If I'm being honest."

Shikamaru chuckled. He took her small hand in his again. "I think we should head back to our camp now."

"No way mister. This fawn is sleeping on my lap. There is no way I'm waking her up. It's just too precious."

"Compromise. How about thirty more minutes, or when the fawn wakes up. Whatever happens first."

"Deal."

Shikamaru didn't let go of her hand. They sat together in the moonlight and watched the little fawns chest go up in down in the tranquil darkness of the forest.

**A/N: Thanks for Reading! Please review if you are enjoying the story!**


	7. Chapter 7 - The Ambush

The sun was just beginning to rise when Temari awoke. She had been an early riser since she was a little girl. It was the perfect time to have some quiet uninterrupted time to herself, to think about life and reflect. She usually spent the time training back in Suna, and she didn't see any reason to change things while she was on her mission. She looked over at Nara. He was fast asleep twisted in his blanket like a pretzel. She smiled. It almost looked like his shadow strangulation jutsu, but instead of shadows, his own blanket had attacked him.

She quietly got up and grabbed some training clothes from her bag. The sand ninja quickly changed behind a tree, and then grabbed her fan to head out to an open area nearby.

She started running to work up a sweat. As she jetted around the trees her mind started to analyze the past few days. If she was being honest with herself, she knew that she had started to develop feelings for Shikamaru a while back. At first, he kind of just fascinated her. The way he forfeited their chunin exam was the complete opposite of anything she could imagine herself doing. Giving up when victory was in her grasp? It was inconceivable. Her subsequent visits, he was assigned as her escort by the Hokage. At first it was awkward, but as they got to know each other better, they got into really interesting conversations. He really was an independent thinker, not really influenced by what others thought. She noticed how he respected his sensei, how he treated his friends with kindness. She saw the special friendship he had with Naruto, a jinchuriki like her brother. It was after that that she started to notice him as a man. His wild hair, his lean strong body, his warm brown eyes, the way he smirked when he figured something out.

She glanced back at the camp to see Shikamaru still lying down, but leaning back against his forearms watching her with sleepy eyes.

What was the point of thinking this way though? They lived in different villages, and aside from the sleep induced kiss, the feelings appeared to be one-sided. He never showed any romantic interest in her.

She grabbed three kunai and eyed three trees directly to the north, east and west of her. Temari lept up into the air and in a spinning twist threw all three kunai. Each one landed perfectly on target on each tree. She then grabbed her fan and waved in a zigzag pattern.

"Wind ladder" she whispered. The strong gusts of wind flowed in multiple directions allowing Temari to scale up to the top of the tree using just the air.

_Still got it._

She sat down to catch her breath. It was all coming clear. She had been distracted by Nara. His kiss captivated her, but it was not real. These feelings needed to end, because it was distracting her from her true purpose – protecting Gaara. Shikamaru was just her teammate and her friend.

She would not lose focus again_._

* * *

Shikamaru awoke to the sound of footsteps. He opened his eyes to see one troublesome Kunoichi dressed in short shorts, a tank top and her massive metal fan walking towards the trees. She started running darting around the trees. He untangled himself from his blanket to fumble around for his watch. He grabbed it and looked at the time.

5:00 a.m.

5 a.m. in the morning. What kind of time was that to be running and leaping around the forest? He rubbed his eyes. Was it always this damn bright at this time? It was not like they had gone to bed early after all. Last night the baby deer had settled in nicely on Temari's lap, and she could not bear to get up and disturb it. They had ended up staying there a lot longer than the half hour they had originally agreed upon. He didn't have the heart to pull her away.

He closed his eyes again in an attempt to get back to sleep. Memories of the previous day flooded his head. He felt guilty about how he had behaved yesterday. That wasn't like him. Normally nothing really got him rattled, and he shrugged most things off as not his business. Life was complicated enough without getting pulled into other people's drama. Truth be told, he had a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach since he heard Asuma utter the fated sentence.

_The Fourth Kazekage Rasa is looking to get Temari married soon._

Why did he care? She was just his friend after all. She was just a girl that blew into town a few times of year, they verbally sparred a little, went for the odd walk, and then she was gone again. She was a couple years older than him, and getting married was nothing unusual – if you were into that kind of thing. She was a member of the Kazekage Clan, and succession was done by blood relation not appointment.

Contrary to what he told her yesterday, he was sure that she'd have a line of suitors eager for the opportunity to date her. He could just imagine it. These over muscled ninja's strutting around like a peacocks trying to impress her. Or maybe it would be the son of some rich clan leader trying to flash their wealth and importance. She wouldn't be impressed with that would she? She was too smart for that. The whole thing was making his stomach hurt.

He looked at her jumping from tree to tree, her sun kissed body looking like it was carved by a goddess. Those jerks didn't deserve her. Could those idiots keep up with her wit? Could they stand up to her when she got bossy, as she was sure to do? Would they appreciate her complicated strategies or just expect her to keep quiet?

He knew why Rasa's statement bothered him. He wasn't an idiot. Sometimes he wished he was.

* * *

Temari returned to the campsite after bathing in the creek to find Shikamaru sitting groggily wrapped up in his blanket by a morning fire he had set up.

"Morning lazy"

Shikamaru looked at his watch. It was now 6:30 a.m. Normally he'd be asleep for at least another few hours.

"You are insane. You know that right?" he muttered. "It's 6:30 in the morning. No one in their right mind is up."

"Tsk. I feel great. My mind is clear, my body revitalized. We can eat breakfast, and then make a good start and cover lots of ground today."

Shikamaru put his head between his knees. It was too early for this level of chipperness.

Temari set upon getting some coffee ready. Hopefully that would help get the Leaf Nin back into gear. Clearly this boy required a lot more sleep than she did. She put some water in the pot to boil, and pulled out some instant coffee powder from her bag.

"Listen, I think we should talk about how we are going to get into the Hidden Rain Village. I'm not sure if you know this but they've banned Sand Ninja's from entering after the skirmish between our two villages a few years ago. I mean, I don't think they would know who I am, but there is that risk."

Shikamaru groaned, his head still between his knees. Temari nudged him, offering him a steaming cup of hot coffee. It wasn't the best, but hopefully would do the trick. He lifted his head and accepted the offer gratefully. He rubbed his eyes again to try to get them functioning properly.

"Banned from the Rain Village huh? Seems like your whole village is troublesome."

"Well to be fair, they don't seem to like anyone from any village."

"I can't say I blame them. Their physical location has made them a battleground for the past hundred years. I'd be mistrustful too."

"Well going on the assumption on them not knowing who either of us are, what do you think is the best strategy to get in there?"

Shikamaru scratched his head. "Well normally, the best way to get in would be if we knew someone there, some distant relative or something. I don't have any acquaintances there, do you?"

Temari shook her head.

"Alright, then the next option, is that this is still a functioning village that has businesses and trade. There are hotels there, so its certain that they do expect some visitors to their village. We could propose some sort of small scale purchase of goods that they sell there. Nothing that would raise eyebrows, but enough that they would want us to enter the village."

Temari nodded. "I like that one. It's probably the most common reason for visitors into the village."

"Master Jiraiya couldn't use any of these options because he is so recognizable. He had to sneak in, which is much more difficult."

"That's true. Good thing we are not so famous, right? Well we could have a story where we are travelling, and one of us is not well. That one of us needs to see a doctor or something. But try to keep it low key."

"That's pretty good too. How about we use that one as a backup in case the first one is not working."

"Agreed. "

"I think our last option, is sneaking into the village. I think once we get past the gates, we can blend in with the villagers, as long as we don't stand out in any way. Jiraiya got in through the river, that might be our best bet too. Although probably a lot trickier…he used his toad transformation, and we don't have anything like that."

"I'm sure we can figure something out, if it comes to that."

"Well then…it sounds like a plan. Let's be off."

* * *

They slowly began to approach the Hidden Village of the Rain. The landscape changed drastically, and the lush green forest and hills of Konoha became a thing of the past. The terrain grew rocky and less fertile. The earth appeared scorched, telling the tales of many battles past. The path was littered with buildings that were turning into rubble. The once vibrant community was a thing of the past.

Shikamaru and Temari were walking at a good pace. A few kilometres back, Nara noticed them. A man with a scraggly brown beard littered with white hairs and a dark haired man who was very slight in nature. He had first noticed them when Temari had stopped to purchase a bit of fruit from a local vendor. The bearded man was at the stall across the road, and was staring at Temari. When they set off again, he noticed the two men start behind them, but kept themselves about a few hundred yards back. Whenever they stopped, they stopped also.

Did he recognize her as a Sand Nin? Or worse, did he recognize her as the Kazekage's daughter? Or was he from the Hidden Rain keeping an eye out for strangers. The possibilities were endless. The only fact remained was that they were definitely being followed. He didn't want to let on though that he was aware. He reached out and grabbed Temari's hand.

"Mari-chan, don't forget our medical appointment at eight pm. We mustn't be late" he said squeezing her hand.

Temari looked at him puzzled. Mari-chan? Medical appointment? They didn't have a medical appointment. He must be trying to tell her something without saying it aloud. He made it sounds like he was talking to his girlfriend but used a variation of her name, and if that was the case, it must be for the benefit of someone else hearing it. And why the specific time? Did he mean that time something was going to happen then, or could it be something else? A direction?"

She stretched her back and adjusted her tessen that was clipped there. Subtly she looked over her left shoulder as she moved her straps. She saw them at the 8 o'clock position as Shikamaru had described. The two men standing far back off to the shoulder of the road, suddenly fell into deep conversation with each other.

"Ah yes, thank-you for reminding me. We won't be late. How long has the pain increased from the normal level?"

Shikamaru looked at Temari in awe. She was so sharp. She picked up on his clue so quickly, and responded with a question of her own. She wanted to know how long they were following them. "I think ever since I ate that piece of pie I think" he responded.

Pie? What could that mean? Pie…cherry pie…apple pie. That was it. She had purchased some apples about an hour back. So these guys had been following them for an hour. "Do you think it was made with local fruit or wild? Maybe that's the problem. "

"I'm not sure. I think everything around here is locally sourced."

"Maybe we should take a break. See if you feel a bit better after resting a bit. I see a quiet grassy area down that way."

Shikamaru squeezed her hand again as in to question whether she really wanted to do this? If they went to that quiet area, it was a sure confrontation. Temari squeezed back and nodded.

"I guess rest and preventative medicine is always the best" Shikamaru replied.

Temari nodded in understanding. It was better if they could lure them in and be on the offense, rather than having their backs turned to them waiting for an attack. They walked down to the grassy area and stopped in the centre. They would be able to see them approach, and they knew what direction they were coming from.

Moments later they saw the pair of men walking down the hill towards them. They waved at Shikamaru and Temari.

"They're walking right up to us. Maybe it's not what we thought. Perhaps they just want to talk to us" Shikamaru stated.

As they approached, the dark haired man reached into his pocket, pulled out a small black object and tossed it at them. The air filled with a thick dark smoke.

"Smoke Bomb" Temari gasped as she quickly grabbed her tessen.

"AAAHH" Shikamaru yelled. A kunai had sliced his arm and it was starting to drip blood down his arm.

Temari opened her fan and did a large swoop. It blew the smoke away, and knocked the two men to the ground with its sheer force. Shikamaru quickly performed his Shadow Possession jutsu. Two shadows raced from his feet and quickly reached the two men, and had them paralyzed in seconds. Temari ran over and quickly bound their hands and feet.

Shikamaru released his jutsu. He grabbed the bloody kunai and held it to bearded mans throat. "Who are you? Who sent you?"

The two men were shaking. Who were this couple before them? They were no ordinary travelling couple as they had suspected. Both possessed powerful justsu.

"No one. No one. We're sorry. Please forgive us."

"Why did you attack us?" Shikamaru asked again.

"You guys looked like you have money. You have that fancy navy cloak, she's wearing gold earrings. I don't know. We thought you might be an easy hit" the bearded man stated.

"Please…we haven't eaten for days. We were desperate for anything we could trade."

Temari narrowed her eyes at them. "You cut him with your kunai. Do you go to such lengths for petty theft?"

"It's not easy around here. We were desperate. Please forgive us. Please…please don't kill us." The man started crying. The look of desperation on his face was apparent.

Shikamaru grimaced as he held his bicep. The cut on his arm had started to bleed quite badly. He looked closely at the two men. They both looked emaciated upon further inspection. Their clothes were ripped and tattered. Their eyes revealed their truth.

"Fine. I won't kill you. This time. Don't you utter a word of us. To anyone. I will know."

"We won't..we won't. Oh thank-you for having mercy on us."

"Hmmff…I don't know…" Temari went up to them and loosened the ties around their feet and hands but not undoing them completely. They would be able to get out of them with a bit of work. She pulled her kunai from her leg and held it back to their throats.

They looked at the small woman in terror. She did not look as forgiving as the man. How could she invoke a gale force wind at her will? They cringed in terror as she reached in her bag. What did she have in there? Paper bombs? Something worse?

Temari pulled out the bag of apples and put it in front of them. She then reached up to her ears and took off her earrings and placed it in the dark haired man's hands.

"Eat well. And don't attack anymore innocent travellers ok."

Tears ran down the bearded man's face. "I won't" he whispered. "I won't".

* * *

"Damn it. It won't stop bleeding." Shikamaru complained as he held his arm. The couple had continued walking for the past hour.

"Stop being a baby. I can see the next small town approaching. We'll get a room and clean it up. I looked at it, it's not too deep."

"I don't know. Why is it bleeding like this? Maybe they hit an artery or something"

"Hmmm…I think you'd be in a lot worse state if you did something like that. Well, the good news is that if we need an excuse to see a doctor in the Hidden Rain, we can just show them your arm." Temari smirked.

Shikamaru laughed. "Yeah, that won't incite about a million questions wouldn't it. Sir, how did you get stabbed on the way here?"

They entered into the town. It was a small sleepy town with not much to it at all. One small restaurant, an inn, and a collection of war beaten houses. It was getting dark, and it would have to do.

"I'll get us a room, you stay put" Temari stated. She walked off to speak to the inn keeper. Shikamaru stared at her as she walked off. She was really something. Her long range fighting style complimented his close range style. They would have been in a real mess if they didn't get that smoke out of the way. She had turned to be a very valuable partner already.

Temari returned holding a key. "We got the last room. He said it's not much to look at, but beggars can't be choosers right?"

They walked over and opened the door to their room. A musty wave of uncirculated air hit their senses. She pulled the string of a dusty bulb, and the room filled with a dim yellow glow.

"Oh my god…." Temari groaned.

The room was in a word filthy. The floor was tracked with mud, old food and who knew what else. The bed was hastily made. The curtains had holes in it. The washroom was putting out a very disturbing smell. A trail of bugs were scurrying around the floors and walls. Temari was scared to look at the state of the sheets.

"I think sleeping in the forest is probably a lot more sanitary than here" Temari muttered.

"Yeah, but with all these thieves around it's probably not the best idea." Shikamaru winced as another wave of pain hit him.

"Here let me help you. Take off this fancy coat of yours off." She helped Shikamaru take off the navy blue cloak.

"I never thought of this coat as fancy before."

"I guess we have it a lot better than others and never quite think of it. Sometimes it takes seeing it first hand to make it real."

"I suppose" he said quietly. It was apparent that the pain was starting to get to him.

The light bulb was flickering similar to how a candle would. Shikamaru was standing there, slightly slumped forward. He grabbed the hem of his net shirt trying to pull it upwards, but he stopped halfway. Temari stepped forward and put her hands on his. She would need to help him. Slowly she lifted the shirt gliding her hands gently over his chest. She could feel her face flushing, even though she was willing it to stop. She got his good arm through the armhole, and then pulled the shirt over his head. The only part left was to get it off his injured arm. She gingerly held the shirt as wide as she could and pulled it slowly off his arm.

"Thank-you" he whispered.

"I'll go get a washcloth." She went into the bathroom, and found a small stack of towels and cloths. She wet a washcloth and stopped at the doorway back to the room. Shikamaru was holding his arm in front of him, peering at the wound.

God he was such a beautiful man. She gazed at his strong lean body, toned from years of training. His black shinobi pants were slung low on his narrow hips. He didn't seem like her teammate and friend in this moment. He seemed like a man. A man that she was very much attracted to.

_Get it together Temari. What happened to your pep talk from this morning. Ignore the beautiful half naked man standing a few feet away from you. He's just your teammate. Focus._

Temari entered the room with her wet washcloth. "Here let me take a look at it." She examined his arm closely. The wound was straight, and it appeared to have been a clean cut. It wasn't too deep from what she could see. It had stopped bleeding which was a good sign.

"I think it will be ok." She gently cleaned the wound. "Wait I have something that will help." She walked over to her bag.

Shikamaru smirked. "I'm beginning to think this bag of yours is magic. Clothes, pots, dishes,food. What other treasures do you have stored in there?"

"Wouldn't you like to know. I could give a master class on packing." She pulled out some ointment, and a long white bandage. She lightly coated the wound and then wrapped the bandage around it. The bandage was neatly tied and pinned. "Not quite medical ninjutsu, but it's the best that I can do."

Shikamaru put his hand on her shoulder. "You're amazing. You know that?" he said softly.

She looked up at him and smiled. "I know." She walked back over to her bag, and pulled out some clothes. "Listen, I'm going to get ready for bed. You ok?"

"I'm fine" He sat down on the bed and swung his legs over. "Are you ok with us sharing the bed. Normally, I'd offer to sleep on the floor, but looking at it –"

"Oh that's fine. The floor is disgusting. We're adults, we can share a bed. I just hope that it's not as dirty as the floor."

Shikamaru pulled back the bed covers. Surprisingly, it looked like the bed had been laundered. It was the one sole thing in the room that appeared clean. "Oh Thank God…I'm so tired. You know, the five a.m. start, getting stabbed and what not." He closed his eyes.

Temari smiled, and walked to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth, and changed into her nightgown. It was a modest blue one with wide straps that went down to her knee. She peeked into the room. Shikamaru was propped up against the headboard, his long legs laid out on the bed in front of him. He had gotten under the covers. She was so glad he was ok, it scared her when she saw that he was hurt.

She got a glass of water and went over to the bed. She sat on the bed near his knees.

"Oh..thanks Tem. It's just want I wanted." He took a long sip. A strand of hair fell from his ponytail into his eyes. Instinctively she brushed the piece of hair behind his ear.

"Oh Shikamaru. Trouble finds you doesn't it?"

His eyes went wide.

She went over to her side of the bed. "Sleep well Shikamaru." She turned off the light.

His heart was racing. Why was he suddenly hit with a memory of kissing her?

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long! I had the worst writers block ever, and this chapter was a struggle. Hope it's ok. I wanted to thank my reviewers and my friend Hazelra for helping me come up with a great idea for this chapter. Also thank-you to the guest reviewer that left the review on my last chapter. It really made my day that you are enjoying the story, and don't worry, I will finish this story. I never don't complete my stories. I'm kind of OCD about that. Thanks again for the reviews, and please drop me a line if you enjoyed the chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8 - Dream Analysis

Chapter 8 – Dream Analysis

Shikamaru looked over at the sleeping kunoichi lying beside him. She seemed to fall asleep as soon her head hit the pillow. His heart was still racing a million miles a minute. Why did he have this memory of kissing her? He remembered the way her lips felt against his. Soft, warm and inviting. Their mouths exploring each other's with increased urgency. The scent of her perfume. The feeling of her body pressed up against his. His arms pulling her body on top of his.

When she had moved the strand of hair from his face a few moments ago, he had the most incredible sense of déjà vu . It was like it had happened before. But nothing like that had ever happened. It must be a dream right? He closed his eyes trying to recreate the memory.

The memory was hazy. He remembered opening his eyes and seeing her there with him. She looked like a beautiful angel in her dark kimono and warm teal eyes. She was stroking his face ever so lightly. He had felt so worn out, so tired and frustrated. He was so happy that she was there back with him. So happy, that he had reached up and kissed –

No. That was crazy. It couldn't have happened, it must be a dream. He had never even held her hand before this mission. Kissing her? Kissing her like that? There was no way. She would have knocked him clear across the room if he had tried something like that on her. Wouldn't she?

He looked over at the girl sleeping beside him. How did he get himself into a situation like this? He just wanted a simple life. Instead he kept getting himself into these troublesome scenarios. Like, how did he end up on a dangerous mission lying in bed with a beautiful woman who he may or may not have kissed?

He leaned toward her sleeping body so that he was facing her. He'd be a fool to deny the attraction he felt for her. She was the opposite of what he always thought he wanted. He thought he wanted a woman that was sweet, gentle and easy going. A woman that was average looking – not too pretty or ugly, that would stay at home with their two children. Temari was the opposite of easy going. She was hyper and demanding and if he could describe her in a word it might be feisty.

Average looking? She was anything but. He looked at his teammate, who was usually covered in many layers of clothing, wearing her simple blue nightie. While the nightgown was modest, it revealed more than he was used to seeing. The elegant line of her collarbone, her bare shoulders and arms, her wild blonde hair, her long slim legs, her narrow waist and shapely hips. Her lips were a soft pink colour that looked so enticing, so sweet, so kissable. With a girl like her, he'd have to worry about other guys all the time.

Gentle? That was not a word he'd use to describe her at all. He shuddered at the memory of her absolutely decimating Tenten at the chunin exams. A warrior to her core. She was gentle with him though. The way she so carefully helped him take his shirt off so that it wouldn't hurt his arm. The way she had cleaned his wound and dressed it. The way she was constantly giving him food and drinks from her travel bag, without him even asking. What did his father once say? _No matter how strong-minded a woman is, she will show kindness to the man she loves._

Loves? Shikamaru shook his head. She couldn't possibly love him. He closed his eyes again to see if he could remember more. He remembered a cool breeze in the room. The oak bed was not his. The room - it was not his, but it felt vaguely familiar. There must be something that could trigger his memory . His mind kept focusing on his kiss with Temari, but he needed to see past that and look at the surroundings. He started concentrating deeply. There was a dresser across the room, with a photo that had three people. Who was it? He delved into his subconscious trying to remember.

Finally it came clear. It was a photo of Choji's family. This was a room at Choji's house. It was the room he had spent the previous few nights in before this mission. But he had so many dreams when he was asleep. How did he know what was real and what wasn't? He felt in his gut that he had kissed her as he had secretly desired to for a while now. This memory wasn't like his other dreams of her. But why hadn't she pushed him away?

He ran his hand gently down her cheek. "Did I kiss you Temari? Do you actually care for a lazy shinobi like me?"

* * *

"You've been awfully quiet this morning. Are you ok?" Temari asked as they walked along the path towards the Hidden Rain Village. "Is your arm bothering you?"

"Ummm….no. It's a little sore, but it feels a lot better than it did yesterday." Shikamaru kept walking staring at the ground. He felt strange interacting with Temari now.

"That's good. I think we should just keep applying that ointment to make sure it doesn't get infected. Don't worry, Nurse Temari makes house calls."

Shikamaru flushed red. Temari in a nurse's outfit was the last thing that he needed to be thinking about.

Temari stopped walking. "Shikamaru, you're all red. You know, fever can be a sign of infection. Are you sure you are ok?" She put his hand on his forehead. "Hmmm….you don't feel hot."

"I'm fine Temari. I'm just thinking. We're going to be at the gate for the Hidden Rain soon, and I don't want anything to go wrong. I've heard they can be quite cruel with their methods of interrogation if they suspect something is amiss."

"Well, they say the devil is in the details right. Ok, how about a little question and answer session on what we think they might ask us. That way, we won't appear flustered."

"That's a good idea. Ok shoot, how about you start with the questions. Let's start with our number one scenario of purchasing goods from their village."

"What village are you from?" Temari asked

"The Land of Waterfalls" Shikamaru quickly answered.

"Waterfalls? Why there?"

"It's perceivable that a person would come from the Land of Waterfalls for a smaller scale purchase, because it's only a few days walk from there. If it were further away, they would question why we didn't go to one of the other major centres that is easier to get in to. The Land of Waterfalls does not have a lot of natural resources and industry, so it would make sense that they would need to purchase items from other villages. They also do not have a contentious relationship with the Rain, so it shouldn't raise many eyes."

"I see you've done your homework. We should probably brush up on some local politics from the area in case they ask. You're in luck. That's kind of my thing."

"Your thing? What do you mean?"

"I mean, I spent many hours helping my father with his work. I got to know all the political relationships, the whose who of each nation. I'll fill you in. Fascinating stuff right?" Temari laughed. "So what exactly will we be purchasing?"

"Well that one's hard. They're known for being technologically advanced, but I think that could open a whole can of worms if I don't really know what I'm asking for. I think I might be better off looking to purchase some straight up goods that they sell there. Textiles? We could say we are working with some clothing merchandisers or something like that."

"Do you think they'll ask us for proof that we have the money? We might have to show them cash to show that we are serious."

"I mean, I think if we spent like 50,000 to 100,000 ryo, it looks like a serious purchase. Nothing crazy, but worth the while of a local vendor for sure. We have enough in our mission budget for that."

"I'm just worried about showing that kind of cash to anyone. I know it's not a huge amount, but this city is run amok with gangs, thieves, who knows what else. These checkpoint guards…they might not be very trustworthy." Temari looked up, the sky was getting dark and grey. Large clouds were quickly moving in.

Shikamaru frowned. She had a good point, it would not be wise to show their cash. "I'll try to avoid it at all costs. I'll only show them if really pressed about it. And only part of it."

"We should really keep the money in multiple locations between both of us. You know in case you get stabbed again or something."

"Woman" he sighed. Temari gave him a smirk. The rain had started to lightly fall on them. Temari put her hands to her ears, and then quickly put them back down to her sides.

"Let's stop here and sort ourselves out then. I was thinking, if they search us, it's going to be apparent we're shinobi. All the kunai, paper bombs, chakra blades – "

"-shuriken, smoke bombs, poisons." Temari continued.

"Poisons? You have poisons on you? Where?" Shikamaru asked surprised.

She patted her trusted bag.

"Oh my God….That same bag you've been keeping all our snacks in?"

"Master Packer, I'm telling you. The poison is something that Kankuro's been experimenting with. I thought it might come in handy in case we get into trouble."

They compiled a pile of their ninja weapons in front of a large maple. It appeared they had quite the assortment of contraband. Temari evaluated the pile with a worried look on her face. "I don't feel good about this. We can't be in the Hidden Rain defenseless."

"Maybe there's a way we can keep this with us discretely. We could seal it all into scroll, and summon the items if we need it. Let's each keep one kunai though, I'm sure travelers keep one on them to stay safe." They each took a kunai back from the pile. "Now the only problem is…"

"What is it?" Temari asked

"I've never done this before. Have you?"

"I've summoned Kamatari. But I've never summoned tools before. I think I have the general idea of how to do it though. Do you know the hand symbols?"

"Yes, it's Ox, Tiger, Monkey, Tiger, Horse."

Temari pulled out an empty scroll and lay it on the ground. "Ok, let's do it together, and then place our hands on the scroll at the same time. That way either of us should be able to use the summoning. You ready?"

Shikamaru nodded. They faced each other. Shikamaru nodded, and they both went through the five hand symbols. "Enclosing Jutsu" they both whispered as they slammed their right hands on opposite ends of the scroll. A white light appeared in the centre of the scroll, the first kunai slowly moved toward the light before being sucked in. The other weapons flowed in in rapid succession. The scroll rolled itself back up into a neat roll.

"We did it!" Temari exclaimed happily as a bright smile washed over her face. She tucked the empty looking scroll back into her bag. She took out a granola bar and handed it to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru smiled back and took the bar. She really was a great partner. Not only was she smart, he just plain liked spending time with her. The mission didn't feel like a pain in the neck like it usually did. Her excitement made it feel like a bit of an adventure.

He watched as she started repacking her bag. She put her hands to her ears again, and then quickly brought them back down. It was curious that she kept doing that.

"Why do you keep touching your ears?"

"Oh….." Temari paused. "I'm just used to wearing my earrings. I've always worn a pair since I was a little girl. My ears just feel like they are missing something now that they are not there."

Shikamaru reached into a small pocket on the inside of his coat. He pulled out something small and silver from his pocket. He opened his hands in front of her revealing two small silver hoop earrings.

"These aren't my Ino Shika Cho earrings, because I had to give them back when I got these." He pointed to the stud earrings that symbolized him becoming a chunin and an adult member of their clan. "But I kind of always liked the hooped ones. I picked up a pair, kind of just to keep with me as a keepsake. You can wear these."

Temari blushed. She remember that Shikamaru had worn earrings like these during their own chunin exams. "Oh no. I couldn't take those. They are special to you, and I'll be fine. I'm sure in a few days, I won't even notice I'm not wearing earrings. It's not a big deal."

"Stop arguing troublesome. Just take them. They'll look good on you."

Temari took the small silver hoop earrings and put them in her ears. She looked back at Shikamaru with a shy smile. "How do I look?"

Shikamaru didn't expect the overwhelming feeling he suddenly felt at that moment. She was standing before him, wearing his earrings. A symbol of the bond between three clans. She was not in their clans, but he felt a strong feeling the moment that she put them on. They were his earrings; her wearing them felt like a bond to straight to his heart.

Amegakure was looming in the distance. The city looked dark and ominous like the sky above them. Their mission thus far had been fairly safe but now they were only moments away from stepping into real danger. Memories of Choji, Neji, Naruto and Kiba in the hospital flooded his head. He would not let that happen again. He would protect Temari no matter the cost.

"A bit more tolerable I guess" he grinned. "Come on – let's go. Amegakure awaits."

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review if you did!**


	9. Chapter 9 - The Gates of Amegakure

Chapter 9 –The Gates of Amegakure

"This is not what I expected" Temari stated as they approached a group of people standing in the pouring rain. She shifted her hood in attempt to cover her already wet head and hair as best she could. Her whole body was starting to feel chilled from the damp clothes clinging to her body.

A large group of people were gathering around what appeared to be the first checkpoint at the gates to Amegakure. There were three lines where they were being first physically checked for weapons. The second smallish hut was where they were conducting interviews. Three large men that looked like they could rip people from limb to limb stood at the entrance of the hut.

"Not exactly a warm welcome is it? Listen, it's imperative that we stick together. We might have to change our story on the fly, so the other needs to go along with it as best we can." Shikamaru looked at the crowd of people. "You know this is a good opportunity to people watch. You never know who might be useful when we're gathering intel on the inside." Shikamaru started watching a group to the right of them.

"You're right" Temari agreed. She scanned the crowd. There were a group of travelers to the left of them that caught her eye. The woman was fidgeting heavily and looked nervous. The two men with her were talking were whispering to each other as they looked at the guards doing the checks. The first man very discreetly reached into his coat and slipped something to the woman. She quickly took the object and pinned it into her hair. It was something long and sharp looking. Maybe a needle? She reached for Shikamaru's hand to tell him.

"Next! You" A large guard with a bushy brown beard pointed at Shikamaru. "Put your bag on the table, and lean over the and spread your legs apart." A bored young woman with red hair stood next to the guard with her arms crossed.

Shikamaru assumed the position. The woman rifled through his bag, to find nothing of interest beside his kunai which he had carefully placed on top. The guard grabbed Shikamaru's wrist roughly and squeeze up his right arm all the way to his shoulder. Temari could see Shikamaru tense up significantly when the guard moved onto his left arm. He squeezed up his left arm. He closed his eyes when the guard reached his bicep and roughly squeezed it sending a wave of searing pain. The contact had reopened his wound. He bit his tongue trying to quell the pain and redirect it to somewhere else.

Temari subconsciously put her hand on her tessen. She was this close to ripping this man apart for hurting him. Shikamaru caught her eye and gave her an imploring look. The look said everything. Stay the course. Don't deviate from the game plan. The guard continued his check, patting down his torso, and then giving his legs the same treatment.

"You're good. Go stand over there" he ordered. "You little lady. It's your turn now. Put your bag on the table and get into position."

The red headed woman walked up to Temari, but the man held out his arm to stop her. "What do you think you're doing? Go check her bag."

"But I'm supposed to check the women-"

"You'll do as I say. You're just a medical-nin, you know nothing about security checks. Whose bright idea was it to let you out here today?"

"I was told to by Eko himself." She frowned. "You know why"

"Masumi, just go back to the table and do your job. I'll do mine" he grunted. Masumi sighed and walked back to the table and opened Temari's bag. Temari walked over to the table and leaned over with her legs apart. This time the guard stood much closer behind her than he had with Shikamaru. He leaned right up against her back so his body was against hers. He then grabbed both her wrists and started squeezing up both arms towards her shoulders. Temari shuddered. She was overcome with panic. This felt just like the man who had attacked her in Konoha, except this time she could not defend herself. It would give them away. She started to shake as the man grabbed her hips and started to slowly pat up her torso.

"I'm going to enjoy this" he whispered in her ear. She turned her head towards the female guard trying to implore with her eyes alone.

Shikamaru cursed under his breath. That bastard was using his position to get off. He wasn't going to allow it, mission be damned. He discretely started making his hand signals for his shadow strangulation jutsu.

"Stop it Hiroki!" the red headed guard yelled and grabbed the bearded guard's arm. "If God's Angel hears yet another complaint about how women are treated at this checkpoint, it'll be the end of all of us. Eko sent me here for a reason."

The guard turned around and glared at his partner coldly. "Well, God's Angel isn't going to find out now is she?" He grabbed Masumi's arm and squeezed it until she gasped in pain.

Temari gestured towards Masumi who was now facing her. She wanted to refocus them onto something besides her and Shikamaru. She pointed to the group at the travelers that were behind them in the line and pointed to her hair. The pointed her finger and bumped it against her hand to show that it was something sharp.

Masumi gave her a flash of understanding. "Hey, that group there. I saw the woman hide something in her hair. Careful, it could be dangerous!" she yelled loudly.

The guards all stopped, including Hiroki and immediately surrounded the group of three travelers. They restrained the men, and carefully pinned the woman down. "Hey you - medical nin. Come here and check what you saw" a guard yelled.

Masumi walked over and carefully examined the woman's hair and extracted a long needle that had a delicate glass vial at the end. "I'm willing to bet it's a poison of some kind."

"Take it back to the medical tent. Have it examined. Tell Eko first." Masumi nodded. " She grabbed the vial and ran back towards the city.

Hiroki looked back at Shikamaru and Temari. "You two go to the next checkpoint, you're fine. We got a situation to deal with here."

The three travelers were standing before the guards with their hands restrained behind their backs. One guard pulled out a long sword . He held it high above his head before swooping down and barreling the shiny steel through the torso's of all three. They fell to the ground in a bloody heap.

Temari stood there with her eyes wide gawking at the gory scene only steps away from her. Had she done this? She didn't think they would execute them.

"Come on" Shikamaru called pulling her arm lightly. "Let's move forward. There's no point in staring at this."

* * *

Temari walked ahead in stunned silence. She had only meant to give the guard a tip so that she would look good in front of her partner. Maybe earn some bonus points so that they would let them go on ahead. Now there were three dead travelers lying in a pool of blood behind them.

Shikamaru grabbed her hand. "Tem…try not to think about it."

"You don't get it. It's my fault. I told the guard about them. I saw that woman put the needle in her hair. I gestured it to Masumi when the guard grabbed her arm. I was just trying to distract them and hopefully gain a little trust with her."

"They snuck poison in and did it in an obvious way, if they were passing it in the line. Listen, we can't feel responsible for dumb stuff other people do. We don't know anything about them, maybe they were up to some pretty dark stuff. " He gave her hand a squeeze. "I was seconds away from shadow strangling that bastard for touching you that way anyways. I was about to get ourselves into a whole other mess."

Temari ran her thumb gently across Shikamaru's thumb. Calm, cool, collected Shikamaru was going to blow their cover? He was so confusing. She knew he was quite a protective person, but it made no sense. She could protect herself. It was not like she was his girlfriend. But here they were holding hands again. They were posing as a couple, but couples didn't need to hold hands. That being said, she didn't want to let go.

"Is your arm ok? He was squeezing it pretty hard."

He sighed. "I think it's bleeding again to be honest. I won't be able to check it until much later. I don't know…I just don't think a small wound is something worth mentioning in this crowd." They walked up to the second checkpoint. There was an older man with white hair holding a velvet black bag ahead of them.

"One gate to go and then we are in."

"I heard something while we were in line earlier. Apparently, they have all visitors followed to make sure they are doing what they said they are doing. So we'll have to go to some textile vendors and make our story holds tight. Ugh…I just hope we sound confident enough when it comes down to it."

"Next" the guard in the hut called.

The old man entered, and Shikamaru and Temari moved to the front of the line. The hut had no door, so it was easy to hear the conversation.

_Why are you here in Amegakure?_

_I've come to sell this jewelry that I've crafted myself. I've brought a sample to show. I was hoping to get a few customers in your fine city._

_Hmmm…another trinket seller huh? Have you submitted your permit with all your details? I don't see any paperwork. Anyone doing business in this city requires an application that is submitted beforehand._

_I'm sorry sir. I didn't know a permit was required._

_What about the merchants in this city?. Have you made arrangements with them? Because they will not take kindly to outsiders trying to take away business from them._

_I'm not taking business away. These are truly unique. The rings have opal gemstones. I carved the setting so it looks like a sakura tree holding the gem. There are no other rings like this._

_Hmpff. Everyday there is a hundred people just like yourself coming to Amegakure trying to sell their crap. It does detract from our own jewelers. The more items bought from you, equals less money people have to spend at their shops. You need to make it worth their while, if you know what I mean. And you need to make it worth my while too._

_Please. I don't have any money. Please. I'm trying to make a living. _

_Aren't we all. Get out of here old man._

A loud clang was heard and the sound of items falling to the floor.

"Next!"

Shikamaru and Temari approached the hut to see the old man on the floor frantically putting rings back into his cloth bag. The guard, who was now busy filling in paperwork, must have knocked his display over. Temari looked at the man, his eyes looked so weary and tired. His hands were withered and knotted.

She sat down on a chair in front of the table and spotted a glint near her foot. It was one of his rings. She picked it up. The ring was actually made out of wood. The small opal was cradled in what looked like a tree adorned in tiny carved sakura blossoms. This must have taken absolutely ages to carve and set. It truly was a work of art.

She put her hand on the old man's shoulder and put the ring in his hand. He looked up at her and smiled. He patted her hand, and closed her hand tight around the ring.

"Keep it dear. I'm not for this world much longer it seems." He slowly walked out of the hut.

What was this place they were in? This land seemed completely devoid of any happiness, hope, joy. Everything felt like it was on the edge of going horribly wrong. A simple man trying to sell a few rings was rejected. How did they expect their plan to work? They didn't have the paperwork. They had no contacts in the city. They didn't know anyone's name they could throw around. They were proposing buying something they knew nothing about. How were they going to get around this? They needed to change their plan, or they could end up like those three travelers.

The guard finished his paperwork and looked at the couple in front of him. "Name's Eko. What brings you two to Amegakure?"

"Eko!" Masumi rushed into the hut. She was holding a piece of paper and three bags filled with a dark brown substance. "The needle was filled with poison. And, we found this on the bodies lined in their coats." She put the three bags in front of them.

Eko raised his eyebrow. He flicked the bags filled with the sticky brown substance. "Opium? This is an excellent catch Masumi. This would have been endless problems if it had gotten in and distributed."

Masumi nodded. "I guess the kill first ask questions later worked out for us this time didn't it?" she laughed. Masumi looked over and saw Temari and Shikamaru sitting in the chairs waiting for their interview. The girl with the sandy blonde hair was the one who had informed her of the suspicious woman. Why had she done that? Was it because Hiroki had grabbed her arm? Was it her way of thanking her for intervening during her search?

"You wait here. We need to talk about this" Eko said to Masumi.

Masumi nodded and sat down at the other side of the room. She started filling in some paperwork at the desk.

Eko cleared his throat. "What brings you two to Amegakure?"

"We are here –" Shikamaru started.

"-because I need to see a doctor" Temari blurted out.

Shikamaru looked over stunned. What was she doing? This was not the plan. He had carefully thought of every answer they could possible ask him, with so many divergent possibilities. How could she change the plan without even discussing it with him first? They had talked about the doctor idea in passing, but they hadn't worked out all the possible outcomes. Why was she doing this? He shot her a questioning look.

"And do you have no doctors where you are from?"

"I can't see them" she answered cryptically.

Eko looked at the couple. They both seemed extremely distressed. Something odd was going on with them.

"And what exactly do you need to see a doctor for?"

"I ummm…I'm having female problems. For the past few days I've been blee –"

"Ok stop. I don't want to hear this" Eko shuddered. Masumi rolled her eyes as she continued filling out some forms at the desk at the side of the room.

Temari internally sighed with relief. She was banking on him being the type to not want to discuss female internal plumbing.

"Nothing is free here. Do you have money to see the doctor?"

"I think I have enough. Please I need to see someone soon, I feel –"

"Masumi, take her to the clinic and examine her." He then gestured to Shikamaru. "You wait outside." They both got up.

Temari walked right up to Shikamaru, who was looking at her with an extremely irritated look on his face. She got on her tiptoes and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. She whispered in his ear "Trust me, and play along."

He leaned down embracing her and buried his face in her hair. "This is a bad idea. We need to stay together" he whispered.

"Ok love birds. Split up. Masumi, take her."

Temari walked exited the hut with Masumi and walked towards a small building that was just past the gates. Shikamaru walked outside of the hut rejoining the line of people that were waiting outside.

Shikamaru ran his hands through his hair. "God Temari….what have you done?"

* * *

Masumi handed a gown for Temari to change into. "Get undressed. Call me after you've changed into your gown. Opening goes to the back." She left the examination room.

Temari undressed and put on the paper thin gown. She had hedged all her bets on this, she needed it to work. She needed Masumi to be on her side, to empathize with her. She had inadvertently helped her out today, hopefully she would believe her. She took a big breath in.

"I'm ready."

Masumi entered the room. She put her clipboard down on the cot.

"So what seems to be the problem?"

Temari put her hands gently on her stomach. "I think I might be pregnant. I don't know what to do."

**A/N: Thanks for reading. I didn't get any reviews for my last chapter, which kind of bummed me out. Hope you guys are still enjoying the story.**


	10. Chapter 10 - The Clinic

Chapter 10 – The Clinic

Masumi leaned back against the table with an unimpressed look. "Pregnant? Is that all? The way you were talking earlier made it sound a lot more serious." She tied back her long red hair in a ponytail as she sat down across from her.

"I think something is wrong" Temari said quietly averting her eyes from the medic. "I've been bleeding, but then it stopped. It's not the same. Something feels wrong."

"Well, lay back. I'll examine you. I should be able to sense if there are two chakra signatures or just one. How many weeks are you late?"

"About three I think."

"You married?"

"No…um…I…"

Masumi laughed. "So you and that cute boyfriend of yours were having a bit of fun hey? Don't worry, I get it." She snickered. "You know we have pills that can prevent this kind of situation from happening in the first place. All of the fun, none of the consequences." She lay her hands slightly below Temari's stomach. A warm ball of green light emitted from her hands. Her hands slowly went over her, examining her closely.

"I can only sense your chakra signature. I don't sense a second one. Everything seems good here, I can't sense any damage or anything concerning. I'll take a blood sample to make sure I'm completely positive." She went and got a needle from a drawer. She rubbed her arm with alcohol and then took an extract.

Temari turned to her concerned. "Then why am I so late? Why the strange bleeding?"

Masumi went back to her table and started writing on her notepad. "Well, that could be a lot of things really. Stress being the main culprit. It can really mess with your cycle. Are you under a lot of stress?"

"You could say that" Temari said hesitantly.

Masumi started tapping her pen on her notepad. What was up with this girl? A simple pregnancy check was not something that a couple would need to travel to Amegakure for. Temari had helped her out at the security check, but why? She needed to find out more. The blood test showed that she was negative for pregnancy. She held up the results to show Temari.

"Are you happy that you are not pregnant or are you sad? I would think with you not being married, this would work out better for you."

Temari merely sat there staring ahead. Finally she started talking. "Logically, you are right. This is the best thing."

"Why didn't you get this checked out at home. You didn't need to come all this way for something so simple."

"My father, he's an important man back home. You can't do anything without him finding out. His daughter possibly pregnant? He'd blow up. Especially since he's trying to marry me off. It would ruin all his plans" Temari shuddered, her arms filling with small goosebumps. This story she was telling was hitting a little too close to home.

"So he doesn't know about the boyfriend huh?"

"No…he doesn't know about him. He'd kill him, I know. I'd don't know what I'd do if anything happened to him…..I wasn't supposed to fall in – " Temari stopped herself choking on the words. "I mean…He's so different than any other man I've met before."

"So you two walked all the way here just to find out. It still doesn't make sense to me. You could have found out somewhere else, and somewhere a hell of a lot easier. You can't tell me you didn't have anyone you trusted who could help you out back home."

"Trust is a luxury that I cannot afford. I thought…maybe we could escape here somehow. Start over. Live our lives the way we want to. The possibility of a baby was an unexpected complication, but not one I was heartbroken over. "

"Oh honey, people don't escape **to** Amegakure, they escape **from** Amegakure. Life here is anything but simple. People don't come here by choice. Especially doe eyed girls in love like you."

"That's exactly why we wanted to come here. People wouldn't search us out here. We're both not afraid of hard work, and if living here means we can be together, then I'm willing to accept the hardship of it."

"So is that why you signaled me about the travelers that were suspicious? To gain favour with me? Was this pregnancy story even a real thing? For all I know, you could be just like those travelers you ratted on, and you and your boyfriend could be smugglers yourself. I have absolutely no reason to believe anything you have to say."

This was all starting to go horribly wrong. Shikamaru was right. They were separated, and Masumi and her people could easily try to eliminate here and he would be none the wiser. She would have failed him and put him in danger. Why did she think that this stupid story would work? It was just a feeling, a gut instinct that this guard could help them out.

Masumi watched the young woman in front of her grow increasingly perplexed. She got a small metal cup, and filled it with ice cold water. She passed it to the woman who took it gratefully.

In this line of work, she heard probably every story imaginable, and she felt that over time that she started to get a good sense of character. This woman was giving her a positive feeling. She looked her over carefully. Young, very fit, her clothes were in good shape and not worn out looking as she was used to seeing in this city. She was wearing small silver hoop earrings which couldn't have been very cheap, and also adorned a very pretty opal ring on her left finger. She spoke like an educated woman in a measured and clear manner. Her story about her father being an important man in her village rang true. A man like that would most likely be wealthy and have a daughter that acted and looked like this young lady. The pregnancy? There was no way of knowing for sure. It was obvious that they were a couple though, from the way that they interacted with each other. So there was the possibility of it being true also. Were they just two kids hopelessly in love?

"Masumi, please – " Temari started.

"- Let me speak first. You've said a lot of things, but there are only two things I know for sure are true. One is that you are not pregnant. The second is that boyfriend of yours is hopelessly in love with you."

Temari started coughing on the water she had just sipped. How could she possibly know that? He wasn't even her boyfriend, and she didn't even know that herself.

Masumi smiled at Temari's reaction. "Well you must know that if you are sleeping with him. The look that your boyfriend gave Hiroki when he as checking you for weapons….hoo boy. I thought he was going to murder him. He looked like he was seconds away from snapping. I've seen that look before, I knew right then he was your lover. Men don't take well to other men touching their women."

Temari could feel her face start to flush red. She had not been able to see Shikamaru's face when Hiroki was checking her. Her heart was racing, this was the last thing she had expected Masumi to say to her.

"So this is what I've decided. I don't know if you are telling me the truth, but I am willing to give you a chance for a few days. The idea of running away may seem glamorous, but the reality of it is quite a different story. You can stay here for three days only. I will tell Eko that you will need three days of treatment which you will be paying me for." She looked sternly at Temari. "You will be paying me."

"Yes of course."

"In these three days, see what you can come up with – to make a living, a place to live. I guarantee this is not a place that you will want to settle down in. It's certainly not a place you want to raise children in. Come back to me on the third day, and we'll discuss your findings and next steps. I honestly feel you'll change your mind in these three days. If you decide that you would like to stay here, well….I wouldn't mind knowing the woman who had the balls to come to Amegakure like this. I might be able to help you out."

Temari smiled at Masumi, it felt like they were tentatively forging a friendship. "If it's so horrible here, then why do you stay here?"

"Amegakure is my home. I grew up here. I have responsibilities to the people here. I understand it's ways. I also…well… like you, I have a special someone that I care about here too. Maybe that's why I'm having sympathy on you, I'm a bit of a romantic myself."

"Thank-you so much. I really appreciate you listening to me."

"I will sign off on your temporary admittance to the city for medical treatment. You can leave now, I will speak to Eko regarding your case. You can to go your boyfriend now. Try to get an room at inn's closer to the Jinku district. They tend to be a bit safer. I will also need my first payment at this time."

Temari reached into her bag and took out the required bills. "Thank-you. You don't know how much this means to me."

"Don't make me regret this. Go get dressed and get going. And take this" She put a few packet of pills in Temari's hand and gave her a wink. "One everyday. So you don't get into anymore situations."

Temari blushed and put the packets in her bag. Masumi walked outside the clinic and walked around the corner. A young man with blonde hair was leaning against the wall waiting for her. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a deep kiss.

"Hey baby" he murmured as he started kissing down her neck.

"Listen, can you do me a favour?" Masumi whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Hn…" the man replied still buried in her neck.

"See that girl leaving the clinic. Follow her. I want to know what she's really up to."

* * *

Shikamaru was pacing the grounds around the second checkpoint. He glanced at his watch for the hundredth time. Where was she? How long could this exam possibly take? What if something happened to her, and he was just standing here like an idiot waiting for her? Was she ok? Was she hurt? Did they take her away? God he needed to know and not just be standing here thinking of a million terrible possibilities.

The last words she said to him were still swirling in his head. _Trust Me and Play Along._

Trust? What trust did she hold in him if she couldn't even let him in on what she had been planning. She was such a troublesome infuriating woman. She drove him absolutely crazy.

He crouched down and placed his hands together looking toward the medical clinic in the distance. It was not too far away from the second checkpoint. The problem was he couldn't get too far from the back side of the checkpoint before there were a row of armed guards near the actual gates to the city. Shadow possession didn't seem like the answer here. It would have been a perfect Shika-Ino-Cho formation actually, if only his team ten teammates were here. He might need to go the old fashioned route and do some sneaking around. Perhaps he could substitution jutsu himself a lot closer to that clinic. It was definitely easier said than done.

He started looking at the tree's outside the clinic when his heart stopped. Temari was exiting the clinic wearing her trademark grin. Not far behind her was Masumi bringing a stack of papers towards Eko's station.

He was flooded with emotions. He wanted to kiss her and kill her at the same time.

As she approached him she gave him a wink. What was she up to? Before he could even blink she had thrown herself in his arms. "Remember" she whispered in his ear. "Play along and follow my lead, they're watching." Out of the corner of his eye he could see Eko and Masumi sharing a cigarette outside the hut. Their eyes were both on them.

"I'm not pregnant! It was a false alarm honey! The bleeding is unrelated, and I'll have to get treated for the next few days for it, but she said I should be fine. Isn't that great news?" Temari beamed brightly at him.

All colour drained from Shikamaru's face. He felt like he was going to faint. What did she tell them? That she thought she was pregnant? That he got her pregnant!? He suddenly felt like all eyes were on him. Why did his rain soaked clothes feel so hot all of a sudden? He looked over and Eko was giving him a smirk as he took a long drag of his cigarette.

He remained standing with his mouth agape.

"Shika….." Temari whispered under her breath, face still plastered with a smile. "Say something and then kiss me like you mean it."

"That's….ah….great" he stuttered. Temari was looking at him with wide eyes, willing him to go on.

His brain was not functioning. He couldn't think of what to say. It was just easier to move on to part two of her request. A kiss. Their first kiss…or maybe not the first? Well at least the first one he was fully conscious for. He leaned forward and gently took her face in his two hands. He leaned down and very gently kissed her lightly on the lips. His body was lightly trembling.

Temari looked up at Shikamaru. He had such a strange expression on his face. He was flushed and nervous, but his eyes looked hurt. Her stomach tied up in a knot. Why was he looking at her that way? She snaked her hands up around his neck and pulled him down towards her again. They kissed again but Shikamaru was holding back. She kept her lips on his, caressing him gently and he slowly started to respond to her. He suddenly stopped and stood up straight.

"We should get moving. I'm not here to put on a show." Shikamaru said quietly.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Next chapter, Shikamaru is pissed off, and him and Temari end up having a heart to heart over drinks. Both get a bit tipsy...what trouble will they get into?**


	11. Chapter 11

The silence between them was deafening. After they had passed the gates, Shikamaru had dropped her hand and returned them to his pockets. He kept his eyes peeled on their surroundings, but never once glanced at her. She returned her hand back to her side.

"Shikamaru, I was doing what I thought –"

"Now is not the time to talk. There are too many ears and eyes" he replied quietly. His voice was cold, all facets of warmth erased.

The rain crashed down on their cold bodies as they made their way to the Jinku district to find an inn. The city was unlike any she had ever seen before. The roads were narrow and dark. The buildings ominously reached the sky, lights littered throughout the towers. It appeared that people did not live in houses here, but in these large apartment complexes. Children were sitting on the wet balconies watching the streets below.

The streets were very busy but oddly quiet. There appeared to be people lurking in every direction. On the stairwells, in the alleys, in the streets. Everyone was watching but not talking.

They were now in the Jinku district, and Shikamaru was speaking with an inn owner. He soon returned with a key. "Let's go settle in, we can plan the rest of our day from there."

They walked up the dusty stairs of the inn to their room at the end of a short hall. The inn was nothing to write home about, but it did appear to be clean and tidy from the entrance. Shikamaru turned the key and opened the door. They both quickly assessed the room.

"That's a huge improvement from the place we stayed last night!" Temari said brightly as she dropped her rain soaked bag to the floor.

The room, while quite small, was very neat and tidy. There was a queen sized bed, a small couch, table, and a bathroom with a shower and toilet.

Shikamaru dropped his bag and gingerly took off his coat and hung it on a hook by the door. He glanced at his hand. It was covered in blood.

"Is that blood!? Shikamaru, what happened?" Temari said rushing over.

He stalked past her quickly to the bathroom. Once inside he peeled his shirt off and looked at his arm in the mirror. When Hiroki had checked him, he had squeezed so hard that the wound had reopened. It had kind of resealed in a congealed mess, but had bled down his arm earlier. He grabbed a washcloth and wet it to try to clean up the blood.

Temari peered into the bathroom. "Here let me help, I think you should –"

"I've got it." Shikamaru stated. He slowly was dabbing the now red-tinged facecloth up his arm inching closer and closer to the wound.

Temari took a step back. Why was he acting this way? She had come up with a plan that had successfully gotten them into the city. Shouldn't he be happy? Or was his pride hurt so much that his plan was not the one utilized. Either way, his behaviour to her was unfair.

She walked over to her bag, and got out the bandage and ointment and returned to the bathroom. "Here at least let me help you re-bandage your arm."

He was about to object but then considered that he would not be able to wrap his own arm at that angle properly. He sighed and then held out his arm.

She washed her hands then took the washcloth from him. As she put her hand on his bicep she shuddered at his temperature.

"You're ice cold! Why do you feel like an ice cube?"

"Maybe because I was standing in the rain for over an hour wondering if someone had hurt or killed you." His eyes glared at her accusingly.

Her expression softened as she gently washed the wound. "Shikamaru, listen. I only did –"

"There's no point talking about it now. We're here. That's all that matters I guess."

"Well apparently not, because you're obviously upset about it. Which I don't think is fair." She stopped herself. She didn't want to argue, and he seemed like he was steps away from hypothermia. "Listen, before I wrap it, you should really take a hot shower. Try to warm your body up or you're going to get sick."

"Yeah, I suppose. What about you? You must be cold too."

"Well I wasn't outside as long as you were. I'm fine. You shower first. I'll go after. That's unless you need help showering."

"What? You want to help me shower?" A look of confusion passed over his face.

"I mean…your arm? You probably don't want to get it very wet with hot water, it could start bleeding again. I mean….I meant help with your arm, not help you actually shower. I…aah…umm. Never mind. I'm sure you're more than capable."

A hint of amusement hit his eyes. "Yeah, I think I can handle it Tem-a-ri"

The way he slowly said her name made her flush red. Was he teasing her? She quickly closed the bathroom door leaving him inside. What was going on with him? He was such a frustrating person sometimes. Mad one minute, teasing her the next.

She went over to her bag, and started unpacking. Everything had gotten damp from the rain. She took the wettest items and put them against the radiator, including a dress to wear for tonight. The rest of her bag was relatively dry. The pills that Masumi had given her were lying at the top of her bag now. What had she said? _All of the fun, with none of the consequences?_ She took one pill from the package and held it in her hand.

The door to the bathroom opened and Shikamaru entered the room wearing only a towel slung low on his hips. His body was wet, and slightly red from the heat of the water. Temari tried not to stare at his strong back, his lean toned legs, his narrow hip muscles that pointed down towards something hidden below. Why was this boy always half naked in front of her? This time he didn't even have pants on, only a towel.

"Oh Kami" she breathed. She subconsciously put the pill in her mouth and swallowed it.

"Sorry, I forgot my clothes out here." He walked over and reached into his bag to dig around. "Damn it! Everything is damp in here."

"You can put your clothes on the radiator like I did. It should dry a little. In the meantime, I can re-wrap your arm."

"Fine…fine." Shikamaru set some clothes on the radiator beside hers and then sat down on the bed and held out his arm. Temari grabbed the ointment and bandage and went over to the bed. With a feather touch, she put the ointment on his arm. She stepped closer now, so that she was directly in front of him. She could feel her face start to flush again as she slowly wrapped the bandage tight around his arm. He was staring at her, not blinking, not breathing. Temari put started putting the final pin at the top of the wrapping.

Shikamaru put his hand on her small forearm. The heat from his hand radiated up into her cold body.

"Temari" he whispered.

"Yes?" Temari's heart was racing.

He slowly ran his hand up towards her elbow, his finger then tracing lightly all the way to her shoulder. "If you stand so close to me you might get pregnant again." His face broke out into a huge smile.

"Baka!" She smacked him hard on the shoulder.

Shikamaru burst out laughing, tears coming from his eyes, lay back on the bed holding his arm. "Tem…ow! Don't hit it."

"You're lucky I don't slice you open right here. Idiot!" She stomped over to the radiator and grabbed her clothes. She walked back into the bathroom and slammed the door. The sound of the shower soon came from the room.

Shikamaru wiped the tears from his eyes. God, it was so hard to stay mad at her, she was so easy to work up. He got up and went over the radiator and grabbed his slightly warmed clothes. He observed her clothes laid neatly on her side of the bed. He shook his head. Her side? Well, this room had a couch, and he had no doubt after the stunt he just pulled, that he was going to end up sleeping there tonight.

He looked at her clothes. It was surprising she could fit so much in that small bag, plus all the supplies that she had packed for emergencies. Cooking utensils, food, dresses, pants, tops,shoes, weapons, medical supplies and at the end was a pile of lacy black underwear on top of her pillow.

He stared at the lace pile surprised. Lace underwear didn't seem the most practical thing for a mission. It looked so fragile, and easily torn, but God was it undeniably sexy. Did she wear this kind of underwear all the time? He flushed at the thought as he stared at the bathroom door. Who could understand women, they never made any sense. Temari especially.

He sat down to put on to put on his underwear and pants. As he sat, a package fell out of her bag and onto the bed. It was a package of very small pills with the first one removed. Pills? Why did she have pills? He thought the whole trip to the medic was a ruse to get into the city. Was she actually ill with something and was not telling him?

Shikamaru sighed. It appeared that both of them were holding in a lot of secrets. Maybe it was time to start opening up. Perhaps at dinner would be a good place to start.

* * *

Shikamaru and Temari sat down in the small pub at the bottom of the inn they were staying at. It was close, cheap and they were told it had the best meal in the area. The pub was dimly lit, but seemed quite busy with people having drinks and dinner in booths and tables that spread across the small space.

An older woman with grey streaked hair approached their table. "Could I get you two something to drink and eat?"

"Hot Sake and the special please" Shikamaru requested. He turned to Temari "Would you like the same?"

She gave him a little grin. She had not taken Shikamaru to be much a drinker, but the warm sake sounded good after the chilly day. "Sure, why not"

"Two glasses please." She nodded and walked back to the bar.

Temari smiled at Shikamaru. "Your drink choice is surprising."

"I thought this might help warm us up a bit. I still feel cold, even after that shower. Although, I think putting on damp clothes isn't really helping the matter."

"Yeah, that's the worst."

The waitress returned with a steaming pitcher of hot sake and two filled ceramic cups. They both took the hot cups and brought it to their lips.

"Oh God….that feels good" Temari sighed as she leaned back in the booth. She clutched her hands around the hot cup.

"Listen, I was hoping that we could talk. I've been thinking a lot about something you said a few days ago."

Temari raised her eyebrow. "A few days ago? What was that?"

"Oh just how it was important for teammates to be honest with each other." Shikamaru took a long sip from the cup and set it down.

"Is this about today? Listen, I'm sorry you got worried, but you yourself said that we may have to change our story on the fly, and the other needs to do their best to go along with it. Doesn't that apply to both of us? Because I think we were about to get into a whole –"

"-Stop…stop. No, not that. Ok, yes, I admit, I was upset with you. Mainly because I felt blindsided and thought something happened to you. But yeah…I get it. I'm just used to being the one that comes up with the strategies. It was just un-nerving. " Shikamaru took a big breath. "It wasn't that, its just I feel we keep too much stuff in…umm….I don't know how to talk about this?" He scratched the back of his head.

"Talk about what?" she asked. Shikamaru was acting so strange. He wants to be honest, but isn't really saying about what? She thought it was about earlier today, but it appeared that was not the case.

Shikamaru contemplated the perplexed expression on Temari's face. Maybe he could change his approach to a lighter tone. "Let's just ask each other stupid questions, but we have to swear to be honest in the answers. For fun."

Temari looked at the leaf nin. Just what was this boy up to?

* * *

"I don't know why you dragged me down here of all places."

"Come on man. I'm buying….besides I promised Masumi I'd check this chick out for her. And you know how she gets when she's grateful. Believe me….it's a delight."

The first man snickered. "You and all your girlfriends. You seem to got one in every town we go to. You are going to get yourself bitch-slapped one of these days. Now who are we checking out?"

"That dark haired dude with the pineapple hair and the blonde chick with him."

The two men observed the couple laughing in a nearby booth.

"So what's special about them" the red haired man asked.

"I have no idea. Masumi just thinks they are up to something. She's probably not wrong. Everyone in this town is up to something" the blonde man sighed. 'Hn…they just look like they're on a date or something. The blonde chick gave Masumi a story about thinking she was knocked up. Hmmm….I could see that. She's pretty hot. I'd hit it."

The red haired man said nothing but keenly stared at the couple.

"Dude, let's get out of here. I did my duty to Masumi. Not much to see here. I think we can go to a bar with better entertainment if you know what I mean."

"Sit down. You're so impatient. We've barely observed them. Besides, something about the girl seems familiar to me."

"Really?"

"I don't know what it is. She reminds me of someone….I can't put my finger on it."

The blonde man shrugged. "Hn. I guess we'll stay a little longer."

* * *

Temari sipped her sake and gave Shikamaru a playful look. "Ok, I'm game. So what's your first silly question?"

Shikamaru gave her a sly smile. "Ok, I'll start off with something fun. Tell me something about yourself that you think I would never guess about you. Embarrassing stories allowed."

Temari pursed her lips as she looked at the Leaf Ninja. "Well….ok, you can't tell anyone right?"

"Of course."

She took a big breath and shot back some sake. "Well I've read all of Jiraiya's novels. I love them. I almost fan-girled the first time I saw him in your village."

Shikamaru burst out laughing. "Really! I wasn't expecting that one. I wouldn't have taken you as a pervert."

Temari smacked his hand. "I'm not! Ok, back at you. Have you read Jiraiya-sama's novels? Tell the truth."

He scratched the back of his head. "Well….yeah. I had to find out what the buzz was all about."

"What did you think of it?"

"The copious sex scenes aside….the books are surprisingly romantic."

Temari smiled and clasped her hands. "Wasn't it? I think that's why Kakashi enjoys them so much."

"Oh really? You think Kakashi is a romantic?" A hint of jealousy flashed through his eyes.

"Oh totally. I think he's just super guarded about that kind of stuff. I think I got all you Leaf Ninja pegged for the most part. I've gotten to know you guys well in my visits to the village. Let's see – Naruto - wants acceptance, Sasuke – vengeful, Sakura – strong but needs confidence, Ino – protective, Choji – kind-hearted, Rock Lee – loyal, Kiba – passionate, Tenten – driven, Neji – analytical, Hinata – thoughtful, Shino – strategist."

Shikamaru was impressed with her assessment. It appeared that she was a pretty keen observationalist from her visits to the leaf. He would have classified his Konoha classmates quite similar to her.

He could feel the sake start to take effect. It was getting easier to open up and talk. It appeared from their conversation that Temari felt the same way. Her face had a rosy glow, and she seemed a lot more eager to speak.

"What about me? Do you think you've got me all figured out?" Shikamaru slowly wiped a drip that was going down his glass.

She smirked. "What's to know? Lazy-ass shinobi who would rather take naps than take on missions. Is smart despite the dumb expression on his face. Probably read Jiraiya-sama's books purely for the graphic sex scenes like all the other guys his age. Likes to trap people in that sexy jutsu of his-"

"-Sexy jutsu? I think you got me confused with Naruto"

"Ummm no. You don't fool me. I think you enjoy the control of it."

"Well that's what Shadow possession does. It controls the object. You're the one who called it sexy. Sounds like someone has been thinking of that jutsu with a different application. Perhaps a bit too much Icha Icha on the brain?"

Temari raised an eyebrow. "Smartass. Well I've been the one answering most of the questions. How about you tell me something about yourself? Something embarrassing."

Shikamaru paused. He looked at her with a perplexed expression, like he was battling a decision he was having trouble making. Finally he took a big breath.

"I am trying to develop a new jutsu. It's a combination of my shadow technique and fire technique. Essentially freeze the enemy and seconds later they would be attacked by a fireball that travelled along my shadows. I couldn't get it right, but I really want to master it. Night after night I was trying, and failing. I ended up collapsing from a complete depletion of my chakra. That's why you heard rumours of me passing out. It was true. My friends helped me cover it up, or at least they tried."

Temari was stunned. She thought he was going to tell her a silly story, but he told her about the one thing he was so desperate to hide the other day.

"Why didn't you want me to know?"

He sighed. "I didn't want to look weak. I didn't want to look weak in front of you."

"Creating a new jutsu combining Yin and Fire sounds super complex. I don't think you should feel embarrassed or weak. New jutsu's like that can take years to develop."

"My teammates got hurt because I wasn't strong enough. I don't have chakra reserves like Naruto or Sasuke. I can't be the weak link."

"How can you possibly think that you are weak?"

"I mean, come on Temari. I'm not like these other guys, flinging chidori and rasengan, and then a few minutes later do it again. I need to hold my own, I don't want to let my teammates down."

"Does a shark think it's a failure because it cannot fly? Is an eagle a failure because it cannot swim? You shouldn't compare yourself to those two. You mind is your weapon, and nobody even comes close to you. There's a reason you're the only one that passed the chunin exam. None of them passed, you did. I wouldn't have gone on this mission with you if I didn't trust and have faith in you."

Shikamaru held took her hand in his. "That's surprisingly kind of you."

She smiled. "Well, I did still beat you in the exam….remember that."

"I don't think you'll ever let me forget it."

Shikamaru looks at the empty plates and bowls of sake. It was getting late, and he wanted to continue the rest of their conversation in private. He took two bills from his wallet and tossed it onto the table. He hadn't let go of her hand.

"Let's go back to our room"

* * *

Shikamaru closed the door to their room, still holding Temari's hand. He suddenly turned her around so that her back was against the door with him in front of her.

"Temari….there's one more thing I want to ask you."

"I thought we were done playing the question game" she teased edging back into the door. He leaned in so he was only inches from her face. He stared at her for a moment, not saying anything.

"Did we kiss? I mean….did I kiss you? At Choji's? "

Temari's face flushed red. This was the last question she was expecting from him. She thought he did not remember. She started to pull back her hand, but Shikamaru held on to it tighter.

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Because these memories of kissing you keep flooding my head. I remember the way your lips feel, the way they taste. I remember the soft sighs you made. So did this happen, or am I going crazy?"

Temari just stared at him. His brown eyes had expanded in the dark room. Her heart was racing, should she tell him what happened? Would it just complicate things? Or maybe he felt the same way she did? She looked at his warm brown eyes watching her.

"Yes…Yes, you kissed me. I thought you were conscious, but I was wrong. You must have been in a dream state or hallucinating or something like it. So yes, it happened but it wasn't real. So you don't need to worry about it. I mean…you were not yourself."

"But it was real for you. You were awake."

"Yes."

"Why didn't you slap me or push me away?"

She looked up straight at him. She raised her hand and gently ran it down his cheek slowly with her fingers. "I think you know why" she whispered.

He leaned his forehead against hers. "You don't know how long I wanted to do that. Our first kiss I wasn't conscious for, our second was a show for some guard. But this one….this one is ours."

He brought his lips to her and gently pressed them against hers. The years of longing culminated in this very moment. He deepened the kiss and she responded eagerly lacing her hands behind his head and bringing them closer. Over and over they tasted and savoured each other, their tongues dancing in each others mouths.

Shikamaru continued kissing her and slid down his arms around so that they were tight around her waist. He started kissing down her neck towards her collarbone. "You have no idea how many times I've thought about this…." His lips kept assaulting her neck, causing Temari to shudder in pleasure.

"How many times?" she whispered.

"Too many to count. I just never thought you felt the same way." He gave her a light kiss on her lips

Temari reached up and put a gentle kiss on each of his closed eyes. "It was hard coming up with new reasons to come to Konoha. Reasons that didn't start with Shik-a-maru"

She pulled away from Shikamaru, and walked towards the bed. She turned around and faced him. "Well…good things come to those who work for it Nara. Don't think you can claim your prize so easily." Her smile was daring him to make the next move.

"Work for it?" Shikamaru repeated. He thought back on their previous conversation; this woman would be his undoing. He brought his fingers up to his lips. "Shadow Possession"

A shadow snaked across the room and covered her feet. He slowly walked towards her, as she mimicked his actions and walked towards him. He kept inching forward to her until they were mere inches apart.

"Is this jutsu sexy enough for you?"

"Oh Kami yes" she whispered in his ear.

Like a perfect mirror they both reached for each others faces and continued the kiss. Every touch returned, every movement reciprocated in perfect harmony. Their kiss started to get more heated, more desperate as their hands started to investigate each others bodies.

_BANG!_ A bright burst of light illuminated the window and the room shook

Shikamaru broke off his justsu. "What was that?" He ran over to the window and moved the curtains.

Temari sat down on the bed, knees shaky. "What was it?"

"An explosion! It looks like a bomb went off. Temari, we need to get out of here!"

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review, it helps me keep motivated!**


	12. Chapter 12 - Hidden

"What the ever living fuck?!" the red haired man deadpanned as he stood staring at the explosion.

The blonde man laughed at his friend as he stood on the rooftop of the neighbouring building watching the patrons running out the burning structure screaming.

"That was an awesome display! What a perfectly placed explosion. Now everyone is leaving, and we can pluck off our pair."

"Deidara we knew they were staying at the inn! Now it's going to be impossible to find them in this chaos."

"Sasori! Come on! You're so negative all the time. How hard can it be? I mean, we are the best after all." He lay out his winning smile. "They won't get past us."

The street was streaming with smoke from the explosion clouding the air with an impenetrable haze.

"Oh shit…"

"You did all this on a hunch! I didn't say I knew who that was for sure. I wanted to investigate and find more information. I could have done that if you hadn't fucked it all up." Sasori eyed the fire spreading from building to building. "Konan's going to murder you."

"Yeah. Well not if that chick is who you suspect she is, then Konan and our precious leader will be more than pleased with us. It's a direct link to the Jinchuriki. "

"A direct link we no longer have contact with. It also means that she's a shinobi. None of the Kazekage Clan's shinobi are weak either. If that's the case, that guy she's with is probably one too. They're not here for a holiday. They're up to something, maybe they're here to spy on our organization."

Deidara continued staring at his work and then gave a wide eyed smile. "That means that Masumi was right and we proved her hunch. Oh man, she's going to be more than pleased. I'm so cashing in on this with her. I did tell you how she gets when she's grateful right?"

"Are you even listening? What have we done? You blew up a piece of Pain and Konan's precious hometown. We have no idea where two shinobi are at this moment. God knows what they have planned. I'm not even one hundred percent sure she is who I suspect she is. Maybe they are just some couple running away from her parents like she told your girlfriend of the week."

The heat waves were fanning out toward them warming their faces. "Well there is only one way to find out for sure. Let's find them before they get too far" Deidara replied.

* * *

Gaara slammed his desk in anger. He re-read the scroll, each word burning a place in his memory . He called his assistant into the room.

"Get Kankuro in here immediately. It is of the upmost importance."

Gaara walked over to his window. What did this mean? Did this really come from his village, under his watch? Who would dare to act in such a way. He slowly cracked every knuckle on both hands. He took a big breath to calm the beast that stirred within him. It was getting harder to do, as he felt his rage start to overtake him.

Kankuro rushed into the office slightly out of breath. "They told me it was an emergency. What is it?"

Gaara immediately closed the door behind him, and handed him the scroll.

His face filled with confusion. "What is this?"

"It's from the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf. On events that occurred in the village – regarding our sister."

"Temari?" Kankuro mouthed soundlessly. He grabbed the scroll and went over to the sunny window. As he read the letter, his face began to lose colour. He gave his younger brother a worried stare as he read further.

"Is this for real? Some bastard attacked Temari? I'm going to pull his organs out one by one. And I'm going to do it slowly." He hopped off the window sill. "He'll never experience pain like this before. I have just the poisons to make this as painful as possible."

"Not if I put him in my sand coffin first" Gaara interrupted.

Kankuro continued reading. "Hmm…so Temari put him in the hospital. That's good, but she didn't go nearly far enough. I wonder why. She's not usually one to hold back."

"Keeping reading" prompted Gaara.

Gaara watched as his brothers face went even paler. He put down the letter with shaky hands.

"What does she mean, she thinks the attack was initiated by someone from the Sand?"

Gaara crossed his arms and looked at his brother. "That's what's infuriating about this letter. It's very vague. The Hokage doesn't go into much more detail than that. "

Gaara cleared his throat. "Temari's on a classified mission in the Hidden Rain right now."

"What? Are you kidding me? You know Sand Ninja's are banned from that village. It's not safe. Did she go alone?"

"No, she's with that leaf ninja. Nara Shikamaru."

"The one Temari beat at the chunin exams? The one whose ass she saved on that attempt to get their traitor Sasuke back?"

"Yeah that's the one."

"Well that's not giving me any comfort."

"Well he's clever, I'll give him that much. Tough…I'm not so sure. What's worrying me more is this initiated by the Sand thing. The scroll doesn't say much more than that. It kind of implies that Temari knows something but she's not telling."

"Why the hell would she do that. You would think she'd send word at least to the two of us."

"Unless she thinks its someone worth protecting? An attack on her is a direct strike to the Kazekage as far as I'm concerned. I don't know who'd have the gall to send word to another village to attack her. Why the hell would she try to protect someone that attacked her?" Gaara narrowed his eyes. "Do you think this is an attempt at a coup from within?"

"Well there is always the possibility that this intel is false. Something to throw us off our tracks."

"That is true, but I don't know. This is sealed and written by Tsunade herself. I recognize her style of writing from previous communications."

"Maybe she was under duress when she was writing it?"

"We can't rule anything out, but I think we should heed the warning in this letter. We need to do some investigating of our own. Temari's safety is imperative, use all our special sources and intel."

Kankuro crossed his arms. "I have a few ideas where to start. I have ways of finding about things that are not talked about. At least we can flesh this out and see if anything comes from it. What about her being in the Rain?"

Gaara looked at his brother determined. "I trust her. I think she can handle herself. I also think Nara has a good head on his shoulders. I'm hoping they can get their intel and get out undetected. They both are strategists. I think they wouldn't do anything rash."

Kankuro cracked his knuckles. "Well I'm going to find out more about this attack. Nobody touches my sister and gets away with it."

"Agreed. He's going to pay. It's not going to be pretty when we're through with him."

* * *

"I can't see anything! We need to get to the exit and get out of here quick!" Temari gasped as she held her scarf to her mouth. She started crouching lower to the ground.

"The explosion was on the west side of the building. If we use the stairs on the east side it should be safer. Just keep low, and keep against the wall. Try to stay close to me. Let's go."

The pair quickly inched their way down the smoke filled hallway towards the stairs. Noises of falling debris and screaming were echoing through the building.

Shikamaru held his hand back towards Temari. "I think we are near the stairwell. I can feel a wall in front of me."

"Feel the door to make sure it isn't hot. We don't need a back draft to take us out. " Temari coughed. The smoke was getting thicker by the second.

The door felt cool, he slowly pushed it open. A slow rumble shook the buildings core.

"What is that?" Temari whispered.

"I don't know, but it sounded like it was from deep within the building. We need to get out of here quick. I'm worried that maybe the building is starting to collapse."

As if on queue, a large chunk of wall came barreling down the centre of the stairwell. The couple quickly moved to the side to avoid getting hit.

"Quick to the bottom. There's no time to lose now."

They raced out of the bottom of the building and opened the door to the chaos that was enveloping the street. People were running in every direction. The fire had jumped buildings and was quickly spreading down the street. All they could hear was the sound of people screaming.

A huge flaming piece of debris fell near their feet, and they jumped back as far as they could.

Sasori stood from the top of a neighbouring building and pointed down towards the inn. "Is that them? It's hard to see with this smoke. There's so many people in the street" He paused as he looked at Deidara. "Idiot."

Deidara pulled his cloak around him. "Well let's not hang out around here. Let's go down and find out."

"We can find out from here."

Deidara looked at him puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Make a few of your exploding birds."

"And you're calling me idiot. She's not going to be much use if she's dead now is she?"

"I guess there's hope for you yet. We're going to create a situation where they will have to act. We'll have them fleshed out from the crowd in no time."

Deidara reached into his pouch and took some of his clay out. He infused his chakra into the clay and formed three birds.

"Give them to me" Sasori directed.

He took the birds and faced a brick building that was nearby. "You're the explosion expert, where would the best place to hit the building to launch a sea of debris below."

Deidara frowned. "What are you doing? There's a bunch of kids standing there."

"Yes, and if they are shinobi worth their salt, they should have no trouble saving them should they?"

"Yeah, well that's assuming that they even care about saving those kids. Why are you assuming that they're some noble fucks. They might be sadistic for all we know. I mean look at you, you ruthless prick."

"Well, then we'll learn even more about them won't we? I didn't know I was working with such a tender hearted pansy."

"Oh shut the fuck up" Deidara sighed. He pointed to an area on the side of the building. "There. That's the sweet spot."

Sasori laughed and aimed the clay bird. "Let's begin."

* * *

Temari began coughing uncontrollably outside the building. The air quality was getting worse and worse.

"We need to get out of here. I don't know who is attacking, we need to get a better view, get to higher ground" Shikamaru gasped.

There was another large explosion, this time on the building in front of them. The ground started shaking, and debris started raining down around them. The sounds of the building heaving were only deafened by the sound of children screaming out in front of them.

"Shika!" Temari yelled. "The kids!" The children were all screaming trying to move but small boulders kept raining down in a path in front of them. They passed each other a look formulating an immediate plan. It would take precise timing to be able to get them out of there without having the boulders crash down on them. They would only have mere seconds.

Temari pulled out her tessen and angled the fan upwards. With a large swing, she pushed a huge amount of her wind nature chakra to blow the boulders away from the children.

With the path clear from impeding boulders, Shikamaru immediately sent shadows across to all the children. It was not easy to get a clear shadow to emerge from his feet given all the smoke in the air. He stretched his shadow to get all five children, and then quickly ran to the right. It got them directly out of the path of the falling boulders. The area they were previously standing got pelted with a huge boulder.

The children looked at them in shock from being moved by a jutsu. The oldest boy pointed a finger at Shikamaru. "Shinobi! They're Shinobi!"

Temari shot Shikamaru a look of panic. The crowd started whispering and pointing at the couple who were slowly edging backwards.

"They must have done this! It's an attack on the Rain! Shinobi have infiltrated our village! Get them!" a man shouted.

"Someone notify God's Angel" another shouted.

"Run!" Shikamaru yelled.

The couple started running away from the main street. A crowd of people started running after them. They darted through the street to the look of horror on the faces of the villagers watching.

"Run towards the forest. Hopefully we can lose them in there."

They ran but the forest which seemed so close, felt like it was getting farther and farther away with each passing moment. Being Shinobi they were able to run much faster than the villagers, but suddenly the smoke started to come from in front of them.

"What's happening? Why are we running towards smoke again?"

A large boom shook the ground and an explosion hit to the right of them.

"It's coming from above!" Temari yelled.

Shikamaru looked up to see an enormous bird flying overhead the smoky dark sky. He could barely make it out but it looked like there was a man standing on top of the bird.

"Who the hell is that?"

"It doesn't really matter, all that matters is that they are attacking us. Come this way!" Temari pulled his arm and jackknifed their path to the right and past a small cottage. There was a small path that led to the forest behind it. The sounds of explosions could be heard striking the ground behind them.

"We haven't lost them yet. We need to get to denser forest fast so that can't see us from overhead. Or stay hidden for a moment, maybe I can catch the shadow of his bird."

They ran with speed but they could not seem to lose their aerial bomber for one second. The bird kept changing direction at great speed never staying still for a moment. Running was getting difficult with the shrapnel from the explosions coming at them from all directions. Shikamaru was running slightly in front of Temari when suddenly he was sent flying to the left from an explosion.

"Shikamaru" she screamed. He was lying still on the ground not moving. Blood started seeping from his torso onto the ground.

She ran over to him. A heavy branch lay on his leg. She struggled to pull it off him, when she was suddenly overcome with a searing pain in her shoulder, almost like she had been whipped. She looked up and all colour drained from her face. She scooted backwards so that her back was against the tree.

"Oh my god….No….It's impossible."

She quickly bit her thumb and smeared the blood in an arc on her tessen. She could feel her arm start to feel heavy, almost paralyzed. Weakly she swung her fan out. "Kamatari….you know what you must do"

The weasel jetted out past the man standing in front of them and into the smoke.

"I don't think your summon is going to be much help to you."

Temari's arm felt like a lead weight, her tessen fell with a loud clang on the ground. She glanced over at Shikamaru who was still not moving.

"You look like…no, it can't be…Are you his son?." Temari gasped. She gazed at the red haired man shrouded in a black cloak with red clouds.

"Who I am is not important. Who you are is everything isn't it?" he replied.

A second man with blonde hair approached. He gave her a bright smile.

"Gotcha."

**A/N: I'm so sorry I've not written a chapter for this story in forever. I just had major writers block and kind of lost my mojo for it. But I think I'm back on track and hope to update the story regularly again. If anyone is still reading this, thank-you!**


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